


Mass Effect Slipstream: Book 2 - The Life of One

by AlanTryth



Series: Mass Effect Slipstream [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Mass Effect, Saints Row, The Elsewhere Universe
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Dreamers, Heist, J-27, Multi, Science Fiction, The League of One, The Siren's Call, comic mischief, krogan chef, space chases
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-11 21:11:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 93,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4452506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlanTryth/pseuds/AlanTryth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finn and the rest of the crew of the Ulasomorf have been training as agents of the Shadow Broker. Their first mission is simple enough: pick up Hylia Krios, a fellow agent with ties to other organizations.  Unfortunately, things get complicated quickly when someone slips a jewel known as 'The Eye of the Creator' into Finn's pocket, landing him quickly in a cell. His attempts to find the real culprit and exonerate himself soon find Finn and his crew dragged into a centuries long hunt for the lost Treasure of the League of One.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Home of the Fallen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn trains for his new role as Agent of the Shadow Broker. He's as good a pilot as ever, though his aim with small arms could use some work.

There wasn’t much out in the Phoenix Massing. Once geth-controlled space, the area was now a silent testament to the existence of the race of synthetics who stood with the galaxy against the flawed logic of the Reapers. Ships, bases, and millions of geth platforms lay still in the void between the Salaheil and Chromos systems, monitored and protected by the quarian government.

It was among the ancient vessels that Billy, the last survivor of the geth, flew the prototype Cerberus starfighter that was now his only platform. His pilot, Alliance fugitive and former J-27 repairman, Finn Cresste, was busily checking the area for prying scanners.

“Nothing to indicate any Cerberus presence. Looks like we’re clear.” Finn said, his eyes on the sensor screen. “Nice of Rannoch to let us look around.”

“Indeed.” Billy’s voice said in Finn’s head via neural interface. “I admit, I was surprised they so readily accepted my existence.”

“It’s not that surprising.” Finn told him. “They had reconciled with the geth before the whole Crucible thing. You’re like their long lost child that they thought had died in the war with his brothers and sisters.”

After a few moments of silence, Finn said, “Er, sorry. That sounded better in my head.”

To his surprise, Billy chuckled. “I understand what you were trying to say. I’m just surprised that the other quarians had even half the excitement at meeting me as Kyra.”

“Yeah.” Finn tried to force a chuckle, but it just came out as a sigh.

Billy’s concern was like a small cloud in his mind. “Is something wrong?”

“We had an argument yesterday. It was really stupid; I was trying to help with some of the Ulasomorf’s upgrades, but I think she took it as an insult. She kept telling me I was just messing things up.”

“And?”

Sighing again, Finn said, “And she was right. Didn’t stop me from arguing about it, though.”

“You’re really bothered by this, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.” Finn confessed. “We’ve had a few squabbles before, but this was our first big fight. I don’t even know why I was so bothered at the time; like I said, she was right. I guess part of me will always be the brat I was back on Earth, but …"

“Yes?”

“I don’t want to lose her.” He blushed. “I’m sorry, Billy. This is my problem; I shouldn’t just be laying it on you like this.”

After a few moments of silence, Billy suggested, “Maybe you should tell her that when you apologize. They say that honesty is important in a lasting relationship, and I know you care as much about her as she does about you.”

“She told you that?” Finn asked curiously.

“Not intentionally. She was talking about your fight to Mannon while she was working on the Gradisian earlier. I believe her exact words were, ‘Yeah, he’s a knucklehead, but he’s my knucklehead.’”

Finn couldn't help but chuckle at that. “Thanks, Billy. It may sound strange, but it kinda helps to hear that.”

“Glad to be of assistance. Now, perhaps we should begin our exercises. Javik insisted I return you on time for a change.”

“Fair enough.” Finn shoved the argument out of his mind along with his future training session with the last Protheanand focused his attention on Billy’s controls.

Three geth fighters fired up their thrusters and sped his way under Billy’s remote control. As they zoomed past Billy, Finn fired up Billy’s engines and gave chase.

The Graveyard was the perfect place for flight training; plenty of vessels to dodge around and avoid, just as would be likely in a real fight. They had outfitted the geth fighters with low-power lasers; they weren’t strong enough to cause any damage, but Billy could detect the angle of the hit and estimate the damage he would have received from standard weapons.

Finn had been humbled during his first few sessions; although he prided himself on his skill as a pilot, Billy had managed to peg him with a deadly shot within a minute. Always a quick study, Finn had brushed off his old talents and made a point to learn from his mistakes.

Under Finn’s control, Billy spun, swerved, and slipped through the inert ships as though the ship were merely an extension of his body. Part of that was the neural interface; the ship responded equally to his thoughts as it did to his manipulation of the controls, allowing him far more control than the pilot of a typical vessel. Part of it was Billy as well; the geth’s voice was always whispering in his ear, advising him on tactics and flying tricks once shared by the best of geth fighter pilots.

It would be remiss to say that Finn’s natural skill wasn’t a factor; Finn felt more alive in a cockpit than anywhere else, with the possible exception of being in the company of Kyra. More often than not, he operated purely on instinct. Where anyone else would’ve been blown to bits, he always managed to fly through it.

It was nonsense, his instructors had told him. He merely was able to filter sensor data and apply it to flying with very little response time. Maybe they were right, but to Finn, he was flying on his own.

After pegging the final ship, Billy said, “Impressive. That was even faster than yesterday.”

“Wanna do a live fire test?” Finn asked, grinning at his console.

“While I have no doubt you’d be victorious, I have no desire to destroy the remains of my kind.”

“Oh.” Finn said, feeling very foolish. “I’m sorry, man; I didn’t mean …”

“It isn’t important. With no way to restore their programming, the geth are little more than empty husks, floating in the void for eternity. Still, I hope that perhaps they might one day be restored.”

Finn knew it must have been tough for Billy, being the last of his kind. He wished there was something he could do to help, but Kyra had already gone over Billy and Jake’s programming extensively; if there was a way to restore the geth, it was beyond her.

Sighing, Finn said, “Well, let’s get back. Hate to keep Javik waiting.”

 

There was a saying on the ocean world of Trident; everything lost eventually will eventually wash up on Trident’s shores. There was big money in combing the few beaches scattered across the planet, but the popular saying was more focused on the people of trident. Widely considered one of the most lawless places in the universe, Trident was home to many a corporation wanting to act outside ethical guidelines. While private security firms kept crime to a minimum, corruption was widespread on the bits of land both natural and artificial.

Fortunately, there was one place on the planet where a quiet pervasive order still existed. Swimming beneath the ocean like one of the natural leviathans of trident, the Amonjana silently floated through the currents, carefully avoiding the settlements as to remain unknown to all. The Amonjana was home to the Shadow Broker, the master of secrets whispered across the known galaxy and beyond. That the Broker was in fact Doctor LiaraT’soni, noted anthropologist and friend of galaxy hero John Shepard, was a secret known only to a select few.

As Billy neared the current location of the Amonjana, Finn transmitted the code that would extend the long passage that would allow them to dock within the moving ship. Even knowing that the top of the tunnel was disguised to look like the ocean, Finn still had a hard time seeing the passage entrance when it slowly rose from the ocean, looking far more like a particularly tall wave than a complex combination of design and holography.

The passage was well lit. The sight of the ocean above them never ceased to amaze Finn, though the view was quickly covered by safety bulkheads as the corridor began to retract. There was a large landing area at the base of the corridor. There were only a few ships there, mostly short-range fighters used by the Shadow Broker’s agents.

“Like me.” Finn thought to himself. It was a strange thought; he had been a pilot, a repairman, a hacker, and an engineer, but an agent of the Shadow Broker? It was hard to ignore the childish voice inside him jumping up and down at being a secret agent working for one of the most mysterious organizations in the galaxy.

Finn set Billy down by the Gradisian, the old quarian fighter he had bought when he left Omega for J-27. Kyra had used some of the Shadow Broker’s resources to upgrade the ship into a truly impressive fighter with top-of-the-line armor plating and shield generators, some truly impressive cutting-edge weaponry, and a more compact and powerful mass effect drive. He had flown it a few times already; it was easily a match for Billy, though it was missing that one thing that made the prototype Cerberus ship truly special.

“A shame you can’t upload onto the Gradisian.” Finn told Billy. “I can only imagine how much trouble we could cause together in her.”

“Liara is researching the storage cells in this ship. If she can figure out how Glaxe managed to lock me into this ship’s databanks, I might yet be able to leave this prison of mine. I might even be able to move into one of the geth platforms Liara has recovered.”

Something in Billy’s tone caught Finn’s ear. “I kinda thought you’d be glad to be able to move around on your own.”

“Perhaps I’ve gotten used to this ship. The idea of being compressed into a moving platform is, quite frankly, unappealing. Besides; without this ship, we wouldn’t be able to converse as freely.”

“Ah.” Finn nodded. Billy was speaking of the neural interface; he and Finn had spoken quite frequently in the recreation of Rannoch. The interface was integrated into the Cerberus vessel; they’d have to tear the ship apart to remove it, and there was no telling if it could be integrated into the Gradisian.

Still, Finn was glad Billy valued their conversations; Finn certainly did. “Well, maybe it’s all for the best, then. After all, the Gradisian can’t cloak yet anyway.”

There was a slight tone of relief in Billy’s voice as he said, “Indeed. Landing procedures are complete; are you departing?”

“Yeah.” Finn told him. “Don’t want to keep Javik waiting.”

Billy chuckled. “Any longer, anyway. Talk to you later, Finn.”

As the neural interface retracted, Finn let out a sigh. It didn’t hurt, not anymore; Billy had reinforced the original port he had installed in Finn so that connecting was nearly seamless. It still left him feeling a bit drained when disconnecting, though.

Billy’s hatch opened, only to reveal the pale, maroon-tinged face of Kyra’Shor vas Shepard. The sight of his girlfriend still made Finn’s heart make a leap for his throat. Her gentle, beautiful face, her stark black hair, and her luminescent eyes often followed him into his dreams. Even when she was clearly annoyed, she still managed to look unbearably pretty in her grease-smeared sleeveless shirt and denim overalls.

“About time you dragged your lazy ass back here.” She told him as she helped him out of Billy. “Javik’s been stomping around like a man possessed. Would it hurt you to be on time for-”

Her eyes widened as he pulled her close and kissed her. She started to pull away for a moment before giving in and wrapping her arms around him.

When their lips separated, she stared at him for a moment before asking breathlessly, “What was that for?”

“An apology.” Finn told her truthfully. “You were right; I was just being stupid … y’know, on the Ulasomorf. If I had listened to you instead of being a pig-headed jerk, you wouldn’t have had to spend all evening fixing the sensor array.”

His apology seemed to take her by surprise. Looking a bit embarrassed, she fidgeted with his hands and said, “I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. I’ve just been so stressed with the upgrades to the Ulasomorf and the Gradisian, and Katt keeps trying to pull me into helping her with the cloaking generator …”

She sighed and smiled at him, her soft hand rubbing his cheek. “I’ll forgive you if you forgive me, sweetie. Deal?”

“As you wish, milady.” Finn took her hand and kissed it gently, making her giggle and blush.

Squeezing his hand, she said, “Meet me for lunch after Javik’s finished running you through the ringer?”

“Depends. What are they serving in medical?” Finn told her, making her laugh again.

As they kissed again, Finn found himself savoring the ever-present taste of blackberries on Kyra’s lips. He wondered briefly if it was her lipstick, or simply natural.

After they separated, they stared at each other for a moment. Kyra seemed to be waiting for him to say something; Finn wished he knew what it was.

“Well.” He told her eventually, “I’d better get moving. See you later.”

“Later, sweetie.” She gave him a final kiss on the cheek before slipping around him to get to Billy.

Finn stared at her for a long moment. How had someone like him ended up with a wonderful woman like her after all of the mistakes he had made in his life? If there was some deity keeping karmatic score, Finn couldn’t help but feel that the numbers had gotten mixed up at some point.

Kyra glanced up at him, catching his stare. Smiling, she said, “As much as I like being admired, I’m not kidding about Javik. You’d better get moving, Finn.”

His cheeks feeling hot, Finn nodded and said, “Right. I’ll just … right.”

As he walked off, he caught a hint of a giggle behind him. Resisting the urge to turn, he headed for the nearest lift.

The Amonjana was a massive ship, though deceptively so; when fully extended, the web of corridors and passages allowed the ocean to run through parts of the ship, enabling the ship to naturally diffuse the engine heat without harming the aquatic life of trident. It also gave the people living on the ship many windows that looked out into the ocean, a truly wondrous sight. Trident had a thriving underwater ecosystem that supported everything from the tiny mirmba shrimp to the massive whale-like leviathans. Finn and Kyra often went walking around the station to admire the oceanlife.

The lift was actually a small pod designed to link to other parts of the ship. Finn stared out of the windows as a school of bright red fish swam around him, seemingly undisturbed by the pod’s presence.

As the pod slid between the numerous tunnels of the ship, Finn caught a glimpse of Darsan walking towards the kitchen facilities. Some may think it odd to recognize a specific elcor with just a passing glance, but some hadn’t encountered an elcor with a love of fine clothing and ostentatious hats. On that occasion, Darsan was wearing his usual wide-brim red velvet pimp hat with leopard-skin band and a jaunty blue feather.

Finn smiled, thinking back to the first time he had seen Darsan in that hat; cornered by the Blue Suns, Finn, Jake, and Mannon were as good as dead until Darsan appeared from nowhere and saved their bacon; the armor-mounted weapons had torn the Mercs to shreds, but it was that hat that stuck in Finn’s mind more than anything.

Darsan wasn’t alone either; Eri and Xyn were walking beside him. Eri was a turian Finn had met during his first stay on Omega; together, they managed to drain one of the Blue Suns bank accounts and escape, though not without losing the other two members of their little gang. He was quick with a gun, but even quicker with a joke.

Xyn was another of Finn’s old friends, but whereas Finn and Eri had been partners in crime, Xyn and Finn had aspired to something more. Xyn was a scaal, a humanoid plant-based race known together with the flying glin and the subterranean trusk as Neukaraans. Her tall, slender form was the very epitome of grace. Beauty shone through every inch of her smooth dark skin and her long green hair as she laughed along with Eri, her blue eyes seeming to glow in the dim lighting of the corridor.

Finn couldn’t help but sigh; he and Xyn had been close once. After rescuing her from the fire that took the life of her bond mate, he had stayed by her side when her own people had given her up for dead. They quickly grew close … a little too quickly. His insecurities and worries that she was somehow transposing him over her former mate rather than loving him for who he was led Finn to leave Xyn and New Elysia.

Seeing her laughing and talking with Eri and Darsan certainly made it look like he had made the right choice. Of course, he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty at abandoning her, especially after she kidnapped him and Kyra while under the influence of an overabundance of Nectar, an emotion-amplifying drug that caused her to nearly kill the both of them in a fit of jealous rage and loneliness.

Eri noticed Finn through the window and gave him a wave. Finn waved at his friends as he passed, a wave of nostalgia passing over him when he thought about everything they had gone through, only a scant few months ago. It was hard to believe so many things had changed.

As the pod docked with the aft of the Amonjana, Finn shook his head. He’d need a clear head for Javik’s training; the last of the Protheans always seemed to know when his thoughts wandered, and never hesitated to take advantage of it, much to Finn’s chagrin.

The aft of the ship held most of the Shadow Broker’s weaponry; jokingly referred to by the crew as ‘The Forge’. The quartermaster was a relentlessly cheery red-haired woman named Anna Muleen, but everyone just referred to her as ‘little sis’, partly because of her friendly nature and partly because she was just under four feet tall.

“Hey, hun.” She said as Finn approached her desk. “Javik’s waiting for you in chamber seven.”

She held out a rifle. “Here; just got ‘em in. Completely energy-based rapid-fire combat rifle; they call it the C-Brace.”

“The Geruda Corp’s been busy lately, haven’t they?” Finn asked, hefting the surprisingly light rifle. It almost felt like a toy in his hands. It certainly had an impressive look to it, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it would shatter if he dropped it.

Javik was waiting for him when he entered chamber seven. The chambers were large holo-rooms programmed with a wide array of combat scenarios (and more than one vacation Vista). As soon as the doors closed behind Finn, they promptly vanished, leaving the two of them in a wide grassy area with a few clusters of prefabricated colony ‘drop-boxes’. Ancient prothean spires jutted out of the earth and dense wildlife in the distance, a reminder of the race that had last colonized the planet.

“You are late. Again.” Javik said flatly.

Normally, Finn would’ve rattled off some carefree response, but to be honest, Javik kinda scared him. It wasn’t his appearance; the four-eyed Prothean was hardly the strangest sapient Finn had ever encountered, though he was undoubtedly one of the most intimidating. Javik was a warrior from another age … two other ages, in fact. He had survived the Reapers twice, and from how hard he drilled his military training into Finn, it was clear that he intended to go for three.

That wasn’t the only thing that bothered Finn; he didn’t know much about Protheans, but Finn could swear that Javik was psychic. Whatever excuse he used, Javik seemed to see through it almost immediately. Whenever he tried to lie about where he was, or what he had been doing, Javik corrected him almost immediately, and that was downright unnerving.

Javik took Finn’s rifle and examined it for a moment before nodding and tossing it back. “Begin!”

A shuttle marked with what Finn recognized as Cerberus’s logo zoomed overhead to the far side of the settlement. Finn counted six soldiers and an engineer leaving the shuttle before it zoomed off again.

Finn rushed forward, careful to stay close to crates and other areas that could provide cover. Fortunately, his approach was not noticed; the soldiers were out on the open and exposed.

Finn poked his head over the crate he was currently behind, and fired a spray of energy bullets at the engineer and the two nearest soldiers. Unfortunately, his aim was off, and not a single shot found its mark. The soldiers leapt behind the nearest cover; unfortunately for some of the soldiers, that cover included several small canisters of thermal capacitance gel. Normally used to power small machinery, thermal gel was extremely combustible. Finn activated his omni-tool and sent a burst of fire flying through the air and directly into the pile of canisters, igniting them in a fireball that engulfed all the soldiers and sent the remaining crates and non-combustible canisters flying in all directions. After the explosion, Finn poked his head over his crate, only to find the engineer’s arm sticking out from beneath part of the pre-fabricated unit that had collapsed.

“Ha!” Finn said, raising his rifle in victory. “Record time!”

Javik let out sigh and shook his head. “Impressive.”

“Really?” Finn asked. It was rare for Javik to give praise.

“Indeed. Twenty three shots in all, and you didn’t manage to hit a single target.”

Finn’s face fell. “Well … I stopped them, didn’t I?”

Javik gave him an icy glare. “Your engineering skills may be on par with Shepard’s, but like him, you must be a soldier as well as an engineer if you intend to stand against Cerberus. If you spent half as much time training here as you did flying through the stars with that machine-”

The entrance to the training chamber slid open, revealing a woman in blue combat armor. Her feminine body structure was similar to that of a turian, but her face and hair were more similar to that of a human.

Her name was Jan'Ce. Finn still knew very little about her, other than that she had been created from the combined DNA of a human and a turian, something he had thought impossible. Then again, the same had been said of humans and quarians before omni-genetic conversion had been discovered.

She approached Javik. “You finished putting him through his paces?”

“We have scarcely begun.” Javik told her. Finn noticed an almost imperceptible softening of the Prothean’s voice as he spoke to what was for all intents and purposes his youngest daughter. “His lack of skill could be described as legendary at this point.”

There was laughter in her eyes as she turned to Finn. “Well, as much as I hate to take him away from training he desperately needs, Liara asked me to bring him to her.”

Javik snorted. “Take him. We’ll continue our training tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Finn asked. “But I’m supposed to-”

“Tomorrow and the next day. I’m tripling your combat training until you learn to hit your target.”

Finn suppressed an urge to groan as Jan led him out of the room.

“Now, Finn.” She said teasingly as she started walking. “It’s all for the good of the galaxy.”

“Fat lot of good that does me if he ends up shooting me.” Finn grumbled.


	2. First Mission

“C’mon, tell me!” Jan'Ce pleaded as they walked to the Lair.

“It’s none of your business.” Finn told her.While her own age was something the crew of the Ulasomorf had guessed at, Jan often acted like she was only sixteen. “If you’re really curious, then I suggest asking Kyra herself.”

Kyra pouted as we waited for the Lair’s scanners to pass over them. “Fine. I will.”

The chamber doors opened, revealing the room Finn often referred to as the Shadow Broker’s Lair. Liara had expressed her dislike of the nickname, but it spread quickly through Finn’s crew.The circular room was filled with glowing consoles, some embedded in the walls and others just holographic projections. In the center of the room was a single chair, designed to allow her to quickly access a number of nearby consoles.Seeing her hard at work brought mental images of stereotypical mad scientists to Finn’s mind, though he never dared say such a thing.

It wasn’t that Liara was intimidating, because she wasn’t; she had a kind face, and after seeing her interact with her daughters and Javik, Finn couldn’t think of her as anything other than a kindly mother. That’s exactly why he wouldn’t dare say anything hurtful; she reminded him of his own long-departed mother.

She wasn’t alone; a small quadruped robot was sitting on a console beside her. The circular monitor that served as its face displayed a cartoonish face that vaguely resembled that of a dog. It wasn’t just a machine, however; the KEI-9 unit was Finn’s best friend in the entire galaxy, Jake. The two of them had been together since running into each other on Earth during Finn’s academy days. The young Finn needed a friend just as much as the abandoned KEI-9 Unit, and in a matter of weeks, the two had become inseparable.

“Hey man!” Jake said, hopping off of the console beside Liara’s chair and trotting over to Finn. “How’d training go?”

“About as well as last time.” He rubbed the top of Jake’s monitor. “What’ve you been up to, bro?”

“Talking with Liara?” Finn glanced at Liara. “We have a mission?”

“If you feel ready for it, of course.” Liara said, a kind smile on her face.

“Yeah, sure! Er, I mean, yes ma’am.”

Chuckling, Liara said, “It’s okay, Finn.I think you’ve earned the right to let formalities slide. After all, you helped me take back the Normandy.”

“I’m glad I could help.” Finn told her. Truthfully, he felt he owed her far more for rescuing him from the Citadel jail, but it didn’t seem the polite thing to say. “So, what’s the mission?”

“One of my agents is requesting immediate pickup on Ilium.”

Finn raised an eyebrow at the asari Matron. “That’s it?”

Seeing her brow furrow, he quickly added, “Don’t get me wrong; I’m sure it’s important and all. I was just expecting something a little more … I dunno, dangerous.”

“Have you ever been to Ilium?” Liara asked curiously.

“Nope.I was considering going there when I ran into Darsan and got the posting on J-27. I’ve heard the rumors of course; people signing themselves into indentured servitude, people assassinated for bumping in to the wrong person.”

“Well, it’s pretty much as bad as you heard. Garrus always said that Ilium was just Omega with a pretty face, something I learned quite well back when I lived there. Be on your guard.”

Finn nodded respectfully. “Anything I need to know about the agent?”

Liara tapped at her controls for a few moments. An image of a female drell appeared in mid-air. Her scales were red, those around her throat nearly as dark as blood. Coupled with her dark eyes and slender, athletic build, she had a definite look of danger about her.

“Hylia Krios.” Liara told them. “I’ve worked with her family for years; great agents … and good friends. She’s been researching some of the Cerberus base locations Billy showed us.”

“Find anything interesting?” Jan’Ce asked curiously.

“I’d imagine so, seeing as she’s wanting extraction.” Glancing at Finn, Liara said, “She requested you by name.”

“Me?” Finn said, surprised. “Have I met her?”

“No, but I’ve learned to trust the Krios’s instincts over the years. If she wants you, she must have a good reason.”

Shrugging, Finn said, “Fair enough.I’ll grab the others and head out.”

Liara bowed her head. “Thank you. Let me know immediately if anything out of the ordinary happens.”

“Can do!” Jake the robot dog said, giving her a salute with one paw.

As Finn, Jake, and Jan headed to the door, Liara called out, “I’m sorry, Jan'Ce, but I need you to stay here.”

Jan turned around, a hurt look on her face. “But they might need me! They aren’t familiar with the security codes or-”

“I have another assignment for you, one that requires your unique abilities.”

Pouting, Jan turned to Finn and said, “I guess I’ll see you later, Finn. Bye Jake!”

“Bye Jan!” Jake told her as the doors to the Lair began to slide shut. Once they were secure, he shook his head. “Bright girl, but she acts like she just got out of high school.”

Finn shrugged. “She’s just excited.Besides, we’d probably be mopping the bathrooms back at the Anderson Naval Academy if she hadn’t saved our bacon.”

“Heh. Fair enough.” Jake laughed for a moment before letting out a sigh. “Hey, bro … can I ask you something kinda weird?”

“Sure. Shoot.”

“Well … have we met Liara somewhere? Before recently, I mean.”

Finn considered it for a moment. “I don’t think so. Maybe we bumped into her on Neukara or Omega?”

“I dunno, but I get the feeling I know her … Javik too, though not as much as Liara. It’s creepy.”

Asari were everywhere in the galaxy; their influence was undeniable. Finn had met quite a few in his travels, but the only asari he spent any significant amount of time around was Aria, the self-styled Queen of Omega, and Liara was definitely not her.

“If not Neukara or Omega, I can’t imagine where.” Finn said.“I think we’d remember if someone like her showed up on J-27.”

Jake chuckled.“Yeah, you’re right. C'mon! I'll race ya to the Ulasomorf!”

The Ulasomorf was in the Amonjana’s repair bay. A complicated conglomeration of design and technology from across the galaxy, she was a ship like no other. In terms of technical details, she was as impressive in her own right as the other ship in the repair bay, the Normandy SR-2.

Physically, the two ships couldn’t be much more different; the Normandy was a sleek Alliance frigate, whereas the Ulasomorf was a bit on the bulky side due to it originally being a salvage vessel. The Ulasomorf was actually a little bigger, though this could be attributed to the mish-mash of designs used in its construction. Of course, the Normandy had the advantage in terms of appearance; it looked like a warship, whereas the Ulasomorf looked like …

“Like a big shoe.” Finn said aloud.

Jake chuckled. “I told you.”

“Yes, and now I can’t not see it.” Finn sighed, adding, “Still, it’s my shoe … ship.”

Finn’s slip made Jake laugh all the harder.

They entered the ship through the shuttle bay door.At the moment, the only two vehicles in the Ulasomorf’s shuttle bay were a battered old pickup truck and the Gradisian.

Two cybernetically augmented humans were currently working on the Gradisian. Well, they were hypothetically working on the Gradisian; they carried tools, and several of the quarian fighter's access panels had been removed. At the moment, however, the two engineers seemed to be arguing.

"You're dreaming!" said the small woman with the cybernetic legs, who was currently sitting on the Gradisian's tail. "The Rangers don't have a chance!"

"The Rangers have Janus Creede." Replied the bear of a man with the cybernetic arm. "Did you see him last season, Katt? The guy's Hall of Fame material, and he's only been out of college for a year."

The woman named Katt snorted. "Sure, but he's one guy; the Knights have a full team of great players. Mschens, Windstar, Myssohn …" Her eyes caught Finn and Jake. "Finn!"

"Finn?" the man asked incredulously before turning to see their approach. "Oh, I thought -"

"Thought I abandoned my noble quest to play on the circuit, Sarge?" Finn asked, grinning. "Not quite. How are the upgrades going?"

Katt hopped off of the wing and hit the ground easily, her artificial legs absorbing the impact without a problem. "So far, so good. I wouldn't say she's ready to take on Billy just yet, but she's getting there. What's up?"

"We've got a mission." Finn told them. "Liara wants us to go pick up an agent on Ilium."

"Ooh! I've never been to Ilium before." Katt rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Think Liara would mind if we tag along?"

"Yes." Rico told her flatly. "We've still got a lot of work to do on the Normandy."

Katt pouted at him, visibly disappointed.

Sighing, Rico pulled her into his arms and hugged her close. "After we finish the upgrades on the Normandy, I'll ask if we can have a little time off."

Squeeing, Katt kissed the tip of Rico's nose before slipping out of his grasp and skipping away towards the Normandy.

Jake chuckled. "Ah, wedded bliss.”

Patting his old friend on the shoulder, Finn commented, "She certainly seems eager for a vacation."

"She's eager to exercise our savings in Ilium's marketplace." Sighing, he said, "In any case, the Gradisian's good to fly, though I'd hold off on using the weapon systems just yet. We're still having trouble balancing the power grid."

"Won't be necessary." Finn told him, pointing to the open cargo door, where the sleek black form of Billy was being guided into the Ulasomorf by Kyra. She gave them a wave with her free hand, the other holding the tractor beam emitter that was moving the experimental fighter.

As Finn waved back, Rico commented, "Glad to see you two stopped fighting. Of course, I guess that means you're the one who'll have to watch his credits on Ilium now."

Finn opened his mouth to reply, but Rico was already hurrying after his wife.

"A shame Liara snapped them up for service on the Normandy, huh?" Jake said, tail end wagging. "I kinda liked having them around again."

"The Normandy needs a lot of work." Finn said, although in truth he felt the same way. "Maybe when they get her upgraded she'll let Katt and Rico join our team."

They both glanced at Billy as Kyra set him down on the cargo bay floor. Shouldering the tractor beam emitter, Kyra approached the two of them with a cheery smile on her face.

"Hi, sweetie." She said before kissing Finn on the cheek. Kneeling down beside Jake, she rubbed the top of the KEI-9 unit's monitor. The cartoon dog face on the monitor let out a happy sigh.

“You ready to head out?” Kyra asked, her grease-covered fingers intertwined with Finn’s.

“You’re coming with us?”

“Of course. Someone’s got to make sure you don’t attract too much trouble.” She gave him a playful bop on the arm. “Besides, I’ve been looking for an excuse to field-test the upgrades to the Ulasomorf.”

“Shakedown cruise, huh?” Said Finn. “Fair enough. We’ll head out as soon as-”

"Excited; Finn!"

Finn glanced at the cargo bay ramp in time to see the rest of the team walking aboard, led by Darsan in a khaki-colored fedora. While not quite as ostentatious as his usual headwear, the brown suit coupled with the tan trenchcoat made him look as though he were about to audition for a part in an old detective movie.

"Delighted; Ah, Finn! I just heard we're getting our first official assignment!"

"Yep. Gotta go pick up one of Liara's agents on Ilium."

"Pickup duty?" Eri snorted. "And here I thought it might be something big."

Mannon gave Eri an odd look. Despite having cut ties with the Alliance, she still wore her Alliance jacket tied around her waist. "You're kidding, right? Given everything that's happened, I'm glad we're starting on something small."

They both stopped as Xyn moved between them, seemingly gliding along the floor with effortless ease.

She placed her delicate-looking hands over both of theirs. "The good lady Liara has asked for our assistance, so surely our task is not a trivial one."

"Er, yes." Eri said, bowing his head. Turians didn't blush (at least not in any way most species would recognize), but Finn had come to notice certain little tells in the turian's face, particularly when Xyn was around.

Mannon, on the other hand, jerked her hand back as though Xyn's touch burned her. A noticeable sadness crossed Xyn's face, but she said no more. As she moved closer to Eri, Finn couldn't help but notice that the turian was now holding her hand.

His friends gathered around him, looking expectant. Finn had come to recognize this as a sign that they expected a speech of some sort. Unfortunately, he never was one for speeches.

Clearing his throat, Finn said, "Well, I think that's everyone. You all ready to get this mission started?"

His crew let out a rousing cheer that lifted Finn's spirits immensely.

"All right!" He said, clapping his hands. "Everyone to their stations! We'll be heading out in ten minutes!"

"Come on, Jake." Finn said, rubbing his friend's head. "Let's get to the bridge."

"You got it, bro!"


	3. Bright Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picking up Hylia is the easy. Leaving Ilium, not so much.

Ilium was an asari world, and yet it wasn’t exactly an asari world. While no one could deny that the asari were a significant presence on the planet, Ilium was technically not a part of Council space. This had many benefits, especially for the many corporations looking to operate outside Council regulations. Slave trade, widely condemned across the galaxy, could still be found on Ilium, usually under the more consumer friendly name of 'indentured servitude'. Most drugs and illicit substances were available, provided one had the proper licenses.

Despite all that, Ilium was no Omega. There were no dark alleys or pollution choking the air; it was a lush garden world. The world's ambient heat kept most of the ground settlements near the polar regions, but the most thriving populations lived near the equatorial territories in massive clusters of sweeping skyscrapers. There, far above the heat of the planet, the more fashionable of the galaxy's criminal element did their business.

For the most part, it was safe. After all, the corporations couldn't do business if it was actively dangerous for consumers on the planet. As long as a person kept his, her, or its wits about them, Ilium was well worth visiting.

Finn docked the Ulasomorf at the city of Kelruga, as per Liara's instructions. According to the information she had given him, Kelruga was one of the larger commercial centers, which would have made it easy for the missing agent to blend in to the crowds while she waited for pickup.

"Says here that there's a pretty hefty security force here." Jake told Finn as the docking clamps engaged. "The boss says it shouldn't be a problem, but to try and not piss anyone off."

"Hey, I'm the figure of sociality." Finn said.

Jake chuckled. "Yeah, I remember how you dealt with that batarian on Omega."

"That was different. He had it coming to him."

"Uh huh."

"Well, what about you? I seem to remember you having a bit of a problem in Kilikan's Casino."

Jake snorted. "It’s not my fault I’m so damn sexy. Poor VI couldn’t help but grow attached to me!"

"Inside voices." Mannon said from her console. Turning to face Finn, she asked, “So, who’s going with you?”

“Huh?”

“Who are you bringing with you to pick up Agent Krios?” Mannon asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “I hate to say it, but our group stands out a bit too much for us all to go.”

“Ooh!” Jake hopped up in his chair and started bouncing on his hind legs, one of his front paws waving excitedly in the air. “Me, me, me, me!”

Chuckling, Finn patted his friend on the head, saying, “Easy there; of course I’m bringing my big bro along. As for the others … well, how about you, Darsan, and Kyra?”

The intercom crackled to life. “Can’t, sweetie. The engine still needs a little work.”

Finn glanced at the intercom. “Do you always eavesdrop on people?”

“Only the ones I like, sweetie. Don’t have too much fun on Ilium, okay?”

As the intercom deactivated, Finn couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head. “Okay then; just you, me, Darsan, and Jake. Eri, Xyn, and Kyra should be more than enough to keep an eye on the ship.”

A grin crossed Finn’s face. “Besides, it’s been awhile since team J-27’s been out and about.”

“Team J-27.” Mannon repeated, an amused look on her face. “Cute.”

Finn tapped the intercom button on his console. “Darsan, meet us in the cargo bay. Everyone else, hang tight for the moment.”

“Meet you there, bro!” Without another word, Jake took off for the cargo bay.

Chuckling, Finn said, “Just like a puppy.”

As he rose from his seat, Mannon asked, “Are sure it’s a good idea to take him along?”

“He’s my brother.” Finn told her. “Besides, his sensors should help us spot trouble before it hits us. You know him as well as I do, Sherle.”

“I know, but …” She glanced down the passage Jake had taken to the cargo bay before asking, “Has he seemed a bit strange to you lately?”

Finn thought about Jake’s recent behavior. Other than his recent deja-vu regarding Javik and Liara, Jake seemed to be his usual jovial self.

“Nope.” Finn said, shaking his head. “Can’t say he has. Why? Have you noticed something?”

She fidgeted in her chair. “I don’t know; ever since we joined with Liara, he’s seemed a bit … absent-minded. Like his mind’s been elsewhere.”

“That’s just Jake.” Finn patted her on the arm, saying, “C’mon; we’ve got an agent to pick up.”

Darsan and Jake were waiting near the departure door. Thankfully, Darsan had given up his highly-conspicuous suit, though as usual he refused to part with his hat.

“Excited; I’m ready for the mission, Finn!”

“Easy there.” Finn said, patting Darsan’s massive arm. “It’s just a pickup. According to Liara, there shouldn’t be any trouble.”

“As far as she knows.” Jake said, wagging his tail end. “C’mon, Finn! Let’s go!”

Finn threw up his arms in mock offense as he said, “Okay! Fine! We’re going!”

Kelruga was a beautiful city. They say that it was built at the optimal altitude for the residents to enjoy the most spectacular sunsets. As the sun slowly fell below the horizon, a multitude of colors and light shone across the reflective faces of the skyscrapers high above them. It was quite a sight.

As they walked down the docking bay, they were met by an asari woman in a stunning evening dress. Of more immediate note, however, were the two armed security mechs flanking her.

“Hello there!” Finn said, giving the woman her best smile while trying to ignore her entourage.

“Greetings, Finn Cresste.” The woman said pleasantly, bowing slightly. “Your docking fee has been processed and accepted. Welcome to Kelruga, the crown jewel of Ilium.”

Glancing out the window at the magnificent cityscape, Finn said, “I can see why it got that name.”

Shaking his head, he said, “Anything you’d recommend we see?”

“That depends on what you’re looking for.” She said, smiling. “If you’re looking for a place to stay, the Andraste’s Arms Hotel is considered the best in the galaxy. If you need a drink and some companionship, you couldn’t do better than the Jumi’s Tear. If you’re looking for entertainment, may I recommend The Bowerstone Pub; The Siren’s Call are performing there at the moment.”

“Siren’s Call, eh?” Finn said, scratching his chin. “I caught part of their act on Neukara. Wouldn’t mind seeing them again.”

“Very good, sir.” She said, standing aside. One of the lines on the floor began to glow, a small beacon of light slowly starting forward. “Follow the beacon, and it will lead you there, sir.”

“Thanks, Miss-”

“Miirial.”

Finn bowed his head respectfully. “Thanks for the help, Miss Miirial. A good day to you.”

“And to you as well, sir.”

As she walked off, Mannon poked Finn in the ribs. “Watch it, buster, or I’ll tell Kyra.”

“I’m just being polite.” Finn said defensively. Shaking his head, he said, “C’mon; let’s follow it.”

“Concerned; what about the mission?” Darsan asked.

“We’ve got some time. Besides …” Finn checked his omni-tool again to verify the information. “The Bowerstone Pub’s our meet-up location with Agent Krios.”

The little beacon led the group out of the station and into the city proper. The town proper was just as lovely in its own way; asari architecture was full of sweeping pillars, smooth walls, and buildings that seemed to flow naturally from the ground. Several large parks had been established. Most were filled with native asari plantlife: graceful Jubaal trees with sweeping blue branches covered with amber leaves, robust genki bushes with wildly colorful blooms, and healthy paena vines growing on the trees, nearby buildings, and pretty much anything else that sat still for too long. It wasn’t all asari, however; one park, admittedly smaller than the others, was populated by oak and pine trees, while another had trees that looked to be made entirely of some crystalline substance.

“Surprised; hargast trees.” Darsan said as they passed the crystal forest. “Healthy grove, too. Impressed; they aren’t easy to maintain.”

“I’ll bet.” Jake commented. “Not careful about how you prune a branch, and it’ll take your arm with it.”

As they continued walking, Mannon let out a sigh. “It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”

Finn nodded in agreement. “Definitely worth the trip.”

“No, I mean us.” She said, gesturing to me and Darsan. “The three of us-“

“Ahem.” Jake said, his cartoon face narrowing its eyes at her.

Blushing, Mannon corrected, “The four of us, I mean. If you told me a few months ago that I’d be on Ilium today on a secret mission for the Shadow Broker, I’d have thought you were nuts.”

Finn chuckled and patted her on the arm, saying, “It feels like ages since we were all on J-27.”

A silence fell over the group for a few minutes before Darsan said, “Curious; do you miss it?”

“J-27?” Finn asked, surprised. He considered it for a few moments before saying, “Yeah, I guess I do. A little, anyway. Only having to worry about keeping the station together, spending most of my days reading or tinkering with the Gradisian … it was simple.”

“I spent most of my days just staring at that damn communications console.” Mannon said. “I swear, J-27 was placed at the perfect spot to avoid transmissions.”

“Cheerful; oh, that was intentional.” Darsan told her. “I was a bit surprised when the Alliance expressed interest in setting up a listening post. I’m sure they had their reasons; be damned if I knew what they were.”

Jake let out a laugh. “And now we’re super secret agents, out to stop the Illusive Man and his Reaper army!”

Finn bowed down as he continued walking and rapped his fist on the top of Jake’s monitor. “Say it a little louder, why don’t you?”

Chuckling, Jake bounded out of Finn’s reach and started walking beside Darsan.

“Contemplative; still, it will be good when we can start rebuilding.”

Finn and Jake nodded in agreement, but Mannon seemed surprised. “You’re still planning to rebuild the station?”

“Matter-of-factly; of course! Bigger and better than ever. I had a massive insurance policy on that junk-heap. Don’t you worry; the money’s all safe and waiting for us to get through with this whole mess about the Illusive Man. Excited; just imagine it! A proper station, with levels and gravity lifts; I’ve been looking for some sponsors for proper hotel and restaurant facilities. We’ll all have proper rooms too; no more having to sleep in the workshop.”

“Amen to that.” Finn said, rubbing his back.

“And this time, you’ll both be full partners.” Darsan promised them. “We’ll run the station as a team!”

“You can keep the administration stuff.” Finn told him. “I’ll stay with maintenance, thank you very much.”

“You, Jake, and Kyra?” Mannon asked curiously.

Finn blushed. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

“Satisfied; then it’s settled; I’ll handle the administration duties, Finn and Jake will head the Maintenance Team, and Mannon, you can head up the security team.”

“Head of station security, huh?” Mannon mused, a smile crossing her face. “I think I could handle that.”

“Assuringly; it’ll be great, Mannon, just you wait. Might even hire Eri as your second in command, if you’re both okay with it.”

“Uh, sure.” Mannon said. Finn noticed she looked slightly uncomfortable, and made a mental note to ask her if something was wrong.

The Bowerstone Pub was a fairly large establishment. The outer façade had been designed to look much like that of an old-earth pub; stone walls, thatch roof, wood planking on the walls. There were even horse stalls, used mostly for parking. An old wooden sign hung beside the main entrance depicting a knight riding a pig.

Inside, however, was pretty much your standard pub; a large bar dominated the wall to the right of the entrance, a small stage covering the left. The space in between was filled with tables and chairs.

The pub was about half-full at the moment. Most people were sitting near the stage, no doubt there to watch the Siren’s Call. As they walked in the door, however, the bartender glanced at them and said in a firm voice, “No bots allowed.”

“Excuse me?” Finn asked, glancing at Jake.

“No bots allowed.” The bartender repeated. This is a pub, not a garage.”

Jake tugged at Finn’s pants. “It’s okay, man. I wanted to have a look around anyway.”

“Cool. We’ll meet up at that fountain beside the crystal park, okay?”

“Gotcha.”

As Jake took off, the rest of the group headed into the pub. As Finn and Mannon sat down at a table roughly in the middle of the establishment, a human server with a bit of a rough look about him hurried over with a stool for Darsan.

“Welcome to the Bowerstone Pub.” He said, pulling a small notepad from his belt. “What’llya have?”

“What’s on tap?” Finn asked curiously.

“Asari Honey mead, Surlie Brothers Wine, and ale.”

“Just ale?” Mannon asked, raising an eyebrow at the bartender.

“S’right. It tastes like old boots, but it’ll get you drunk. A fine choice for the thrifty pub-goer just here for the show.” The server said, nodding toward the stage.

Shaking his head, Finn asked, “Got any crystallic, by any chance?”

“Not a chance. If you’re looking for something exotic, though, I’ve got a bottle of Xemptarian Wine. Gotta warn you, though; packs a hell of a punch.”

“Sounds fine to me.” Finn glanced at his friends. “What about you guys?”

“I’ll try the mead.” Mannon said, nodding at the server.

“One Xemptarian Wine and one Asari Honey Mead.” The man glanced at Darsan, asking, “And a Visproy Spritzer for you?”

“Surprised; you read my mind.”

Chuckling, the server said, “We get a lot of your people here. Best Spritzer on Ilium, they say.”

“Eagerly; Indeed? Then I shall await it with great anticipation.”

As the server hurried away, Finn glanced through the other pub-goers. Most were human or asari, though there were a few salarians right next to the stage, and a rather annoyed looking yahg sipping from a tankard that was as big as Finn’s head.

Finn quickly looked away; the yahg weren’t too happy with anyone they thought might be disrespecting them, and unfortunately, they interpreted pretty much any action as one of disrespect.

“Did Liara say when she was going to get her?” Mannon asked curiously.

“No. According to her notes, though, Agent Krios would know when we were docked. She’s probably on the way now.”

The server came back in a few minutes with their drinks. Finn raised an eyebrow at the small glass of blood-red liquid the server set in front of him, but the sight of what looked like a ice-cream sundae with a massive curly-straw sticking out of the top startled any other question from his mind, other than, “The hell?”

“Curious; you’ve never had a Visproy Spritzer before?” Darsan asked them.

Mannon glanced at the crystalline bowl in front of her with a hint of disappointment. “I wish I had.”

“Informative; one scoop chocolate, one scoop vanilla, one scoop cherry, drenched in a whipped cream liquor and whipped cream with chopped nuts, all topped with an authentic cherry.” Darsan picked up the cherry with two massive fingers and slipped it into one of his mouth slits. His eyes closed a moment later, a look Finn could only describe as ecstasy in his eyes. “Delighted; delicious!”

Shaking his head, Finn lifted the tiny glass and raised it to his mouth. The intense smell of alcohol coming from the liquid immediately made his eyes water. Closing his eyes, he took the tiniest of sips from the glass.

It wasn’t too bad at first; the wine had a strange flavor that Finn couldn’t place; fruity, but he could quite determine what kind of fruit. There was another flavor there, though; something else, something that could only be described as primal. When it hit, Finn’s eyes flew open. While there was no alcoholic kick, it felt to Finn like the universe was in a wild spin.Feeling extremely light-headed, Finn managed to set the glass down without spilling it and immediately let his head hit the table.

“Finn!” Mannon’s voice sounded startled.

Finn felt someone pat him roughly on the back, followed by the server’s voice saying, “Give him a minute or two, and he’ll be fine. If they don’t pass out in the first few seconds, they come out fine.”

“What the hell was that?” was what Finn wanted to ask. As he opened his mouth, however, all that came out was a blue-green mist. Once it was gone, Finn felt his disorientation fade away.

As he lifted his head from the table, Mannon asked, “Are you okay?”

“I think so.” He managed, still feeling a bit light-headed. “I think … something to eat …”

“Ah, good thinking.” The server said, whipping out his notebook again. “Never drink on an empty stomach, that’s what I always say. What’llya have?”

By the time they gave their orders, Finn felt more or less like his usual self. Still, he had the presence of mind to order a glass of water with his sandwich; there was no way he was touching the xemptarian wine again.

Something bumped against the back of his chair. He glanced back to see a small human woman whose face was mostly obscured in her hood.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She said, bowing politely. “I’m just so clumsy today.”

“Not a problem.” Finn told her.

As the woman moved away, Mannon asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Finn said, waving it off. “Just … didn’t expect the wine to do that. Yours okay?”

“Mmm-hmm.” She took another sip from her bowl. Finn could smell the scent of honey coming from the amber liquid.

“I’ve always been partial to the mead myself.” Agent Krios said before taking a sip of her own bowl.

If Finn had been drinking something, he would’ve spit it out. “Agent Krios?”

She looked identical to the hologram Liara had shown Finn; red scales that went blood-red around her throat, slender athletic build, and jet black eyes. She sat in the seat next to him as though she had been there for hours.

“Please, call me Hylia.” She bowed her head to each of the group in turn before returning her gaze to Finn. “I’m sorry if I startled you; I’m just used to being quiet, I guess.”

“It’s fine.” Finn told her. “We’re here for you, after all.”

“Excellent. In that case, we should leave immediately.”

“On your way?” The server said as he returned, our food in tow. “You’re leaving?”

“Sudden change in our schedule.” Finn said, rubbing the back of his head. “I’m sorry, but could we get all of that to go?”

“Well, sure, but …” The server seemed a bit flustered. “You’ll miss Siren’s Call.”

Finn activated his omni-tool and paid for the meal. “We’ll have to catch them some other time.”

The server seemed confused, but he hurried off and returned a few moments later with a few food and drink containers. As he poured the group’s drinks into the to-go cups, Darsan asked, “Curious; why must we leave now?”

“Believe me.” Hylia told them, “Auntie Liara will want to see the information I found immediately. The sooner we’re in a secure place, the sooner I can tell you more.”

With food and drinks in tow, Finn and company left the Bowerstone Pub and made their way back to the docking bay. Finn couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed; he had hoped to see a bit more of the city during their stay. Still, at least the mission went off without a hitch. After how much trouble he and the others had during their flight from Cerberus, he supposed he was due a little normality for a change.

Remembering Jake, Finn activated their two-way communicator and said, “Yo, Jake; we met up with Krios a bit early. Better start heading back.”

“You got it, bro.”

Hylia glanced at him curiously. “Jake?”

“I’ll explain when we get back to the Ulasomorf.” Finn told her.

As they walked towards the bay where the Ulasomorf was docked, they were met by Miirial and her two security mechs.

“Hello again.” Finn said cheerily as they approached.

To his surprise, the security mechs lifted their pistols and aimed straight at the group.

Stopping dead in his tracks, Finn asked, “What the hell? What’s going on here?”

“I am sorry for the inconvenience sir.” Miirial stepped forward and activated some kind of hand-scanner. As she scanned Mannon, she continued, “We just received reports of a break-in at the Bridgemont Museum. Apparently, the thief made off with the Creator’s Tear.”

“The Creator’s Tear?” Finn asked as the asari moved on to Darsan.

“A valuable jewel found in the core of the moon of Dresnu. According to legend, the jewel shows the way to a fabulous treasure. I don’t know about that, but the gem itself is worth a considerable amount of credits.”

“So what’s this ‘Creator’s Tear look like?” Mannon asked curiously as Miirial scanned Finn.

The light of the scanner focused on Finn’s waist. Her smile dropping from her face, Miirial reached into Finn’s right pocket and pulled out a glittering tear-shaped blue jewel about the size of a golf-ball.

“Like this.” She said grimly.


	4. Target of Opportunity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn ends up in a cell, only to be rescued by the actual thief in time to catch another group of thieves making off with the Tear of the Creator.

“I’m telling you, I don’t know how it got there!” Finn insisted.

Miirian shook her head and said, “If I had a credit every time I heard that, I’d be a rich woman.”

After the discovery of the Tear of the Creator, he and the others had been quickly escorted to the nearest security station. The others had been released when it was clear that they weren’t involved. As the guy caught with the jewel in his pocket, however, Finn wasn’t so lucky. Now he was in a tiny room sitting in an uncomfortable chair across the table from Security Officer Miirian.

“I’m telling you, I didn’t steal anything. I didn’t even go to the museum! We went straight to the Bowerstone Pub and back. Nowhere else!”

“I know.” Miirian told him, crossing her arms. “We reviewed the security footage. You may not have stolen the jewel, but having it in your possession … well, you know what they say; possession is the law.”

Raising an eyebrow, Finn asked, “I thought it was ‘Possession is nine-tenths of the law’?”

“Not on Ilium.” Miirian let out a sigh and leaned over the table. “Look, I’m not stupid; I know you didn’t steal the jewel yourself. Just tell us who you’re working with, and you’ll get a reduced sentence.”

Rolling his eyes, Finn said, “I’m not working with anyone! I’m just a maintenance guy.”

“Mister Cresste.” Miirian said, rubbing her eyes. “We are aware of who you are, you know. I doubt there’s a person in the galaxy who hasn’t heard about your little stunt with the Council. Since you’ve never bothered changing your name, we’ve been able to trace your life all the way back to the Anderson Academy on Earth … everything, including your time on Omega. Will you still claim you’re no thief?”

“That was different.” Finn insisted. “The Blue Suns are just thugs.”

“Thugs with wide connections, many of which are currently keeping an eye out for you. Something about destroying a priceless collection of antique books.”

Flushing, Finn said, “They kidnapped my friend.”

She walked around the table, saying, “Believe me, Mister Cresste, I’ve no love of the Blue Suns. Though they’d prefer being called mercenaries, I agree they’re little more than a gang of thugs, just the Blood Pack or the Saints, or Ilium’s own Eclipse. When I heard you and your friends on Omega robbed them blind, I practically cheered. That’s the problem.”

She put her hands on the back of Finn’s chair and leaned forward to whisper into his ear. “You were the leader. You put a team together, came up with a plan, then infiltrated the Blue Suns most secure hideout and stole a third of their credits. This sort of thing wouldn’t be the first time for you, and I’ve no doubt that you have accomplices. Tell me who they are, and you might get out of prison in time to enjoy your twilight years.”

Rolling his eyes, Finn said, “Fine, you got me. I’m working with the Shadow Broker.”

She stared at him for a long moment before chuckling and standing up straight. “Tough nut, huh? Well, maybe some time in a cell will convince you we mean business. Take him to Cell 4-A.”

Without another word, the security bots hauled Finn to a jail cell.A repulsion force-field hummed to life moments after the bots shoved Finn through the door.

“Hey!” Finn shouted, standing as close to the door to his cell as he could without setting the repulsion field off, “Don’t I get a phone call or something?”

The security mechs stomped away, oblivious to his request. Sighing, Finn sat down on the cot that served as the cell’s only furniture. The room was essentially a box with a force-field cover. He might have been able to hack the controls from inside the cell, but the security officers had locked out his omni-tool. “Smart move.” thought Finn somewhat bitterly.

Part of him was still reeling at his situation; for once, everything had been going according to plan. How did that jewel end up in his pocket? He didn’t even know where the Bridgeford Museum was located. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to be surprised that they didn’t believe him; he supposed the ‘I didn’t do it’ defense wasn’t as convincing as the fact that he had the jewel.

He wasn’t terribly worried; Liara would surely come to their aid when she learned of their situation. It was the embarrassment that bothered him; his first assignment as an agent of the Shadow Broker, and it had gone to hell. At least his friends had been released, even if it did leave him quite alone.

Of course, there was someone he could still talk to. Sighing, Finn tapped the side of his head and said, “Jake, you there?”

“Right here, buddy. Where are you? They’ve got a troop of those damn security mechs watching the Ulasomorf like hawks.”

“Yeah, about that.” Finn said, blushing despite no one was around to see his embarrassment. “I’ve run into a little problem.”

“Problem?”

“They think I’m a thief.”

“A thief? Why in the hell would they think you’re a thief?”

“Because they found some rare jewel in my pocket.”

A moment of silence passed before Jake asked, “You didn’t really steal it, right?”

“Of course not!” Finn said indignantly. “I have no idea why I had it!”

“Well, it didn’t just appear there.”

Finn considered that possibility for a moment, but quickly shook his head. Teleportation technology was extremely unreliable. He thought back to his admittedly limited experience on Ilium; most of it was just walking.

“Hang on.” Finn said, snapping his finger. “That girl bumped into me in the Bowerstone Pub.”

“So?”

“So if she was a skilled pickpocket, she could’ve slipped the jewel into my pocket then.”

There was another momentary pause from Jake’s end. “Okay, so she steals a valuable jewel and then plants it on you to … what? Even if you got it past security, there’s no guarantee she’d be able to get unto the Ulasomorf.”

“Yes, because our security is so top notch.” Sighing, Finn said, “We’d be lucky if Eri and Xyn could slip out of their own little world long enough to notice, and Kyra’s too occupied with her work. We’re talking a skilled thief here, Jake; she probably had a plan.”

The repulsion field sealing him in the cell died with a sudden fizzle. The security mech guarding the door fell to the ground, his rifle hitting the floor and clattering as it bounced off the floor.

Finn started to grab the rifle, but quickly caught himself. “Interesting. My cell door just opened.”

“Can you get out?” Jake asked.

“Probably.”

“So go already!”

“Go where?” Finn asked. “They’re guarding the Ulasomorf. The last thing Liara needs is for my face to be plastered everywhere.”

A loud sigh of annoyance was Finn’s reply, but it wasn’t from his two-way radio with Jake; this voice was feminine and young-sounding.

“Come on!” The voice coaxed. “Don’t you want to get back to your ship?”

“Huh? Who are you? Hey, Finn, is someone in there with-”

The transmission cut off abruptly. The intruding voice said, “Ah, that’s better. Now, back to what I was asking; do you want to stay in there forever?”

Finn stood and approached his cell door, “Not if I end up dragging half of Ilium’s security behind me. What did you do to Jake?”

“Don’t get so worked up; I just jammed his frequency so we could enjoy a conversation without interruptions. Oh, don’t worry about security. I’ve scrambled every system in this station.”

Crossing his arms, Finn asked, “And why would you do that?”

“Out of the kindness of my heart, of course. Why, if an innocent boy like you had to spend his best years in the big house, I doubt I’d get a moment’s rest tonight.”

“I’ll bet.” Finn replied dryly.

Chuckling the voice said, “And if you were to grab the Creator’s Tear from the lockup which I’ve taken the liberty of unlocking, I’d be mighty appreciative. They’ve stored it in a Gilman Case.”

“A what?”

“It’s a little electrically sealed box with a built-in homing device. You’re looking for the one marked C-32. Don’t bother trying to hack it open; I’ll show you how to disable the homing beacon once you get it. Just bring it out with you, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Uh-huh.” Finn said, glancing around for what his mysterious benefactor was using to spy on him. “And my friends?”

“Oh, don’t worry; once the Creator’s Tear is in my possession, I’ll make sure security knows you and your friends were simply victims of circumstance.”

“Or you’ll leave us holding the bag.”

“It’s a possibility. Still, what choice do you have?”

She had a point; it would be days before Liara could respond to the problem, and that put Agent Krios at risk. They needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

Sighing, Finn said, “Fine. You have a deal. Any chance you can unlock my omni-tool?”

“Easy.”

Finn’s omni-tool flared to life.

“Now get moving!” said his unseen benefactor. “Time’s a-wasting.”

“Who are you?” Finn asked as he stepped out of his cell.

“Uh-uh. Unlike some people, I don’t go blabbling my name everywhere.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your ship is still registered under the name Finn Cresste. You’re either an idiot, or the concept of keeping a low profile escaped you.”

“I’m not a-”

“Guard coming from your right.”

Finn quickly hugged the wall. Sure enough, moments later a turian guard ran past the adjoining corridor.

Once the guard was gone, Finn said, “We’re in the Terminus Systems. What’s it matter if people know who I am?”

“If I was you, I’d be more worried about the people outside the Terminus Systems who know who you are … like the Spectres the Council sent to bring you back for example.”

“What?! Why send Spectres after me? They think I’m nuts!”

“Yeah, but the dangerous kind of nuts, the kind that could incite people to panic.Turn right here.”

Finn peered down the hallway before turning right, just to be sure. He was out of the cell block now, which meant there were likely to be more security officers kicking around. The idea that he was being hunted didn’t sit well, but he shoved it into the back of his mind while he dealt with the more immediate issue of escaping.

“How much further?” Finn whispered.

“Not much. Don’t worry about the guards; they’re … preoccupied. Third door on your left.”

Finn looked at the door she had indicated. It was slightly ajar.

“They leave the lockup room open?” Finn asked curiously.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence from the other end of the line. “Not usually.”

Finn listened intently at the door. He could hear two people talking, women from the sound of it.

“Quarian.” Finn breathed. Kyra had been teaching him some of her native language; not enough to understand them completely, but enough to catch a few words. The word ‘goto’ kept popping up; from what little context Finn was able to ascertain, it was the name of something … or someone.

The voices suddenly fell silent. Before Finn could back away, the door was torn open, revealing two quarian women in environmental suits. One of them held a small box, ‘C-32’ visible on the top.

“Whoa!” Finn said, backing away as they pointed pistols at him. “Easy there! I’m-”

“Cresste!”

Finn turned to see Miirian and a turian security officer staring at him from the end of the corridor, their hands going for their pistols.

“Ah, crap.” Finn ducked into the lockup room and quickly shut the door. He quickly activated his Omni-tool and hacked the door lock; it wouldn’t hold forever, but it would keep them distracted for a little while.

It wasn’t until he heard the filtered sound of someone clearing her throat that Finn remembered the quarians. Turning, he found both of them still pointing their guns at him.

“Wait a minute.” said the quarian in the purple suit, sounding amused. “You’re Finn Cresste?”

“Ah … yeah.” Finn replied, rubbing the back of his head. “You’ve heard of me?”

The two quarians immediately began arguing in their native language. They were speaking far too quickly for him to keep up, but he managed to catch a few words.

“… with us … trouble … no way.”

“He is … could be useful. Besides, Viridia would never forgive …”

Finn glanced back as someone, presumably Miirian and her turian friend, began pounding on the door. “Uh, I don’t mean to rush you, ladies, but they’re gonna get through that door sooner or later.”

The blue quarian seemed to capitulate. With a nod, she hopped up into the open vent.

“Stay close to us.” The purple suited quarian told him. “And don’t worry; we do this sort of thing all the time.”

As she climbed into the vent after her friend, Finn heard his mysterious ally murmur, “My my. Someone’s being naughty.”

Finn opened his mouth to respond, but she quickly stopped him. “Don’t say anything; I don’t want them knowing I’m here. Just keep following them for now.”

Shaking his head, Finn leapt up and caught the edge of the vent. After a moment of scrambling for a better hold, he pulled himself into the vent and followed after the two quarians.


	5. Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn escapes with the help of the two quarians. After reuniting with Darsan and Mannon, he finds the identity of the quarian thieves who now hold the Tear of the Creator.

Vent shafts are, with very few exceptions, not very hospitable locations. Typically, they are very narrow, either far too cold or hot depending on the needs of the building tenants, and are definitely not designed for people to go crawling around inside of them.

As Finn crawled after the two quarian thieves, his mind was racing. Who were they? He guessed they weren’t working with the woman who had sprung him from his cell, but that just made the matter even more complicated. Why were both parties after the Creator’s Tear?

More importantly, what did this mean for him and his team? In the old days, he wouldn’t have spared it a thought, but they were his team, his friends. His actions could have adverse affects on them, and he didn’t like that thought one bit. Whatever happened, he needed to make sure they weren’t blamed for whatever was going on.

“Hey.” Whispered the quarian in the purple suit. “You still back there?”

“Yeah.” He whispered back. “Just thinking. Who are you people anyway?”

“Archaeologists.”

Finn had to stifle a laugh. “Really.”

“Yeah, really. The Creator’s Tear is a quarian artifact; we’re simply bringing it back home.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” Whispered Finn’s mysterious benefactor.

The purple quarian continued, “It’s one of thousands of artifacts from the days when quarians roamed the stars. The galaxy traded the history of my people as little more than knick-knacks. Our little company simply wishes to take back what is ours.”

“Even if it’s against the law?”

She chuckled. “You’re one to talk after the stunt you pulled off with the Council. Is it true you once robbed the Blue Suns?”

Finn’s cheeks went red, and not just from the cold air rushing through the vents. “I didn’t think anyone outside Omega knew of that.”

“They do now. Word is Massani’s offering a million credits to whoever brings you in.”

“Alive?”

“Two-million if alive.”

An uncomfortable thought ran through Finn’s head. “Is that why you’re letting me tag along?”

She laughed again. “The Blue Suns can go suck a fat one, as far as I’m concerned. As for why I’m helping you … well, you can thank your friend Kyra for that.”

“Kyra put you up to this?” Finn asked, surprised.

“Not exactly.”

“Quiet!” Whispered the blue-suited quarian. She appeared to listen intently for a moment before saying, “We’re clear. Turning right.”

As the blue-suited quarian disappeared around the right corner, the purple-suited quarian said, “You can call me Violet, by the way.”

“That doesn’t sound very quarian.” Finn said.

She shrugged, saying, “I guess not.” Without another word, she turned the corner. As Finn followed, the bottom of the vent suddenly gave way to a steep slope. With a small yelp, he slid down the vent until something soft, warm and purple brought his momentum to a halt.

“Hey!”

His cheeks burning, Finn quickly backed away from Violet as much as he could, mumbling apologies.

“Just watch it, lover-boy.” She teased. Turning back to her friend, Violet asked, “How much longer, Azure?”

The blue-suited quarian said, “Almost there.” With a small spark, the vent cover she was working on fell away. She caught it deftly and set it gently inside the vent before slipping out of the opening.

“Okay.” Azure told them. “We’re clear.”

One by one, they slipped out of the vent into what looked like a disused storeroom for a restaurant. Boxes and bags of various dry cooking goods filled the room in a more or less organized fashion.

Popping his back, Finn asked, “Not that I’m complaining, but how is the police department connected to this place?”

“The city’s infrastructure runs on a massive interconnected set of vents; it helps regulate the city temperature. Kelruga’s a bit closer to the surface than most settlements, so keeping everything cool’s a bit more of an issue here.”

“Makes sense.” Finn reasoned. “Still, it seems weird that we didn’t run into any kind of security measures.”

“You’re welcome.” Azure told him.

Violet put her arm around Azure’s shoulders. “Best hacker in the ‘verse, as far as I’m concerned. We would’ve had the Creator’s Tear if it hadn’t been for-”

The door to the room began to open. Violet and Azure ducked behind several crates while Finn hid behind a stack of compressed cubes he guessed to be either sugar or flour.

“I’m tellin’ ya.” said a grumpy male voice as the door opened. “Everything’s accounted for. I check it myself, every day!”

“Unimpressed; I will be the judge of that.”

Three sets of footsteps entered the room, one making the typical shuffle Finn associated with the elcor. “Probably the business owner.” Finn reasoned. There was something else, though; a very slight beeping sound just barely in Finn’s hearing range. As the steps grew nearer Finn, the beeping intensified.

“Curious; what is this?”

“Ah, Jalapeno Salt. I import it straight from Earth. Nothing beats it for flavor, far as I’m concerned.”

“Interesting.” said another voice, this one female.

“Firm; indeed. Thank you, Mister Jecht; you may return to your duties.”

“I … er, sure. Let me know if you need anything, boss.”

As the man closed the door, Finn heard the elcor move toward him. “Amused; Jalapeno Salt. What will they think of next?”

Without warning, one massive elcor hand knocked into the stack, sending the compressed cubes falling on Finn. With a yelp, he leapt back, standing in the process.

Darsan and Mannon looked at him, the latter with an amused look on her face.

“Oh my.” Mannon said, turning to Darsan. “Looks like we have a Jalapeno Salt thief on our hands.”

“Amused; Indeed. I shall have to call the authorities.”

“Darsan? Mannon?” Finn said, somewhere between disbelieving and completely caught off-guard. “What are you doing here?”

“Tracking you.” Mannon tapped his hand, saying, “The Shadow Broker had a tracer implanted on you just in case this kind of thing happened.”

“But the way that guy was talking …” Finn turned to Darsan, asking, “How did you trick him into thinking you were the owner?”

“Delighted; because I am the owner. Surely you didn’t think that J-27 was my only business venture. I bought the Bowerstone Pub twenty years ago. It’s returns are modest, but consistant. Truthfully; I honestly forgot I owned it until the Viceroy Spritzer; that was my idea too. When Jake detected you in the larder, I decided to take a more hands-on management approach.”

Finn couldn’t think of any other response than to laugh. “That’s awesome. Where is Jake, anyway?”

“He’s right …” Mannon glanced around, a frown forming on her face. “Huh. I guess he wandered off again.”

Finn thought this odd, but then again, odd was Jake’s middle name. Shaking his head, Finn said, “Well, I’m glad Darsan’s business acumen has worked in our favor.”

“With false modesty; I do my best. Curious; but what about you, Finn? How did you end up in my larder?”

“Oh, that was Violet and Azure here …” Finn said, motioning to where the quarians had hidden. “Come on out, you two; it’s cool, these are my friends.”

After a moment, Mannon walked over to the crates and peered behind them.

“There’s no one back there.” She told him.

“What?” Finn hurried over to the crates; sure enough, there was no sign of the quarian thieves.

Sighing, Finn muttered, “Great. There goes the Creator’s Tear.”

Alarmed, Mannon asked, “You brought that thing with you?”

“No, I …” Sighing, Finn said, “This is gonna take a few minutes.”

“Resigned; I’m sure it will. Well, let’s take it upstairs; you have to be hungry after how long they held you, and Kyra already ate your sandwich from earlier.”

The Bowerstone Pub was almost empty. A glance out the front window showed Night was fast approaching.

The man Darsan had called ‘Jecht’ was tending bar. He gave Finn an odd glance as the group approached.

“Now where did you come from?” He asked Finn curiously.

“The stork, according to my mother.” Finn replied a bit testily. “Any chance of another BLT?”

With a glance at Darsan, the man nodded and quickly walked to a set of double-doors Finn assumed led to the kitchen.

As the group sat at a table near the bar, Mannon said, “Okay, before you get started, I need to ask you something … and please don’t get offended. Did you have something to do with the theft of the Creator’s Tear?”

Flushing, Finn said, “No, Sherle, I didn’t.”

She stared at him for a moment before nodding. “That’s good enough for me.”

“Agreeing; and me. Now what happened in the station? Did they grill you?”

“Yeah.” Finn replied. “Not that I can blame them. I told them the truth, but apparently the law works a bit differently on Ilium. After they threw me in a cell, I-”

The voice in my ear whispered, “Don’t tell them about me.”

“What?” Finn said, surprised. “Why not?”

“Finn?” Mannon asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Stop talking to me … and don’t tell them about me. My family’s made it a point to be the best thieves, not the most infamous. If you want my continued help, leave me out of your little story.”

Now even Darsan was staring at him. “Worried; are you okay, Finn?”

Shaking his head, Finn said, “Sorry; just kind of zoned out there. Anyway, I managed to get out of my cell. As I was trying to find my way out, I ran into two quarians in old envirosuits. Turns out they were after the Creator’s Tear.”

“Do they have it?” asked Mannon.

“Yeah. It’s in some kind of security box, but they managed to get it.”

“Curious; how do you know the Creator’s Tear is actually in the box.”

Finn opened his mouth to respond when he realized he didn’t actually have an answer for that. Fortunately, Mannon had already reached her own conclusion.

“Makes sense. Heck, that might have been their plan all along; plant it on you, then steal it back while the police were busy dealing with you.” Shaking her head, Mannon asked, “So they helped you escape?”

“Plaintively; I wish I had known that before I put down the money for bail.” Darsan told Finn.

“Bail?” It suddenly occurred to Finn why Miirian had been so surprised to see him out of his cell. Smacking himself on the forehead, he muttered, “They were coming to let me out. Perfect.”

Shaking his head, he said, “I can’t imagine it’ll take long for security to figure out where we went. We need a plan … but first, I think we should send the Ulasomorf back to Trident. The last thing we need is for Agent Krios to be in danger because of this mess.”

“You’re concern is touching, Finnegan, but I can take care of myself.”

Finn jumped, as did Mannon; Hylia was sitting at the table with them as though she had been there all along. He hadn’t seen her approach and sit down at all, and his perception was still adrenaline augmented at the moment.

“Where did you …” Finn stopped himself. From the way she raised her eye-ridge and slyly smiled, it was clear he’d never get a clear answer. Sighing, he said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you or anything.”

“I understand completely.” She replied. “The information I have is critical, and you want to make sure I have a chance to get it to Liara before Cerberus tries to track me down. Of course, you’re assuming Cerberus is aware of me, but that’s beside the point.”

“I …” Finn sighed again and said, “Yeah, good point.”

“Indeed.” another small smile graced her face. “Besides, the Ulasomorf’s still under lockdown. You did register it under your real name, after all.”

“I get it!” Finn said, throwing up his hands in mock anger. “I’m a dumb ass for using my real name. I’ll think of an alias once we get out of this mess. For now, can we stick to trying to figure out a way out of here?”

“Pointedly; you could just turn yourself in and tell security the truth.” Darsan suggested.

Mannon let out a hollow laugh. “I get the impression that they’re not interesting in the truth as much as having someone to blame.”

“I got that too.” Finn admitted. Scratching his head, he said, “What we need is proof.”

The voice in his ear said, “Like video footage of our friends Violet and Azure sneaking into the lockup. Footage I will be more than happy to provide as long as you get me the Creator’s Tear.”

“What?!”

Everyone at the table stared at Finn. Remembering himself, Finn coughed and said, “What about if we get the Creator’s Tear back?”

“Intrigued;” said Darsan, “They might be more receptive to the truth if we return the stolen object. After all, what kind of real thief would return something that valuable?”

Mannon stared at them. “You’re both nuts, you know that? How are we going to track down the real thieves?”

Glancing up at a black orb hanging from the ceiling, Finn said, “We do it the old fashioned way.”

“Huh?”

Finn stood up and hurried over to the bar. “Hey, Mister …”

The bartender nodded at him, saying, “Mikal Jecht. You can just call me Mikal, though; everyone does. What’ll ya have?”

“Can I take a look at the footage from your security cameras?”

Raising an eyebrow suspiciously at Finn, Mikal warned, “That footage is automatically updated to a public server.”

“That’s fine.” Finn assured him. “I just need to look at it.”

Mikal glanced at Darsan, who said, “Firmly; Do it.”

Shrugging, Mikal dug around behind the counter for a minute before pulling out a small slightly smudged datapad with the image of a knight riding a pig on the backside. “Here; you should be able to review the footage from here.”

“Thanks.” Finn brought the pad back to the table, already thumbing through the individual cameras to get a feel for where and where not the cameras were watching.

“Finn?” Mannon asked.

“Hang on.” After passing over a few more of the feeds, he found a camera watching the Storeroom. From the angle, he could see behind the crates where Violet and Azure had hidden earlier.

“Okay.” He said, setting the pad down so everyone could see it. “That’s our angle; let’s see where the real thieves went.”

His finger traced around the timestream in the corner of the pad, rewinding the footage. He slowed the rewind to a more manageable level when he noticed footage with Darsan, Mannon, and Mikal.

“Here we go.” He said, as the two quarians rewound to their hiding places. They watched as the footage began to play; once Finn was discovered, Violet nudged Azure, who immediately glanced at directly at the security camera. With a wave of her hand, the image went static. When the screen cleared, they were gone.

“Environment suits.” Mannon said wonderingly. “Haven’t seen one of those since the history vids back in school.”

“They haven’t needed them in a long time.” Said Hylia.

Thinking back to how the helmets had been opaque, Finn said, “They’re probably just wearing them as disguises now.”

Glancing at Mikal, Finn asked, “Hey, Mikal; is there another way out of the storeroom?”

“Not that I know of.” Mikal replied as he polished a drinking glass. “Other than however in the nine hells you managed to sneak in.”

“We used the vents.” Finn paused to consider that for a moment before shaking his head. “No, that wouldn’t make any sense; they were looking for this place.”

Shrinking the image of the warehouse feed into a smaller window, he scanned through the other camera feeds for a moment before finding one looking at the door that led to the storage room. After matching the time of the feeds, he wasn’t surprised to find that the camera watching the storage room door went out shortly before the camera in the storage room came back on.

“Resigned; that’s that, then. They got away. Out the front door, clean and easy.”

“Hang on.” Finn muttered. “I know I saw a feed on the outer door.”

After cycling through the feeds again, he found a video feed facing the main doors of the Bowerstone pub. With some amusement, he noticed the barker in front of the restaurant was dressed as a medieval fool, and not enjoying it much from the look of him. Putting all three feeds on screen, Finn ran the entire sequence again; the thieves cut the camera in the warehouse, then cut the camera in the main room, then … nothing. The outside camera recorded no one leaving the building.

“Now that’s interesting.” Mannon murmured. “Is there another way out of this building, Mikal?”

“No, lass.” He told her. “Just the main entrance. Mind you, I didn’t realize the vents were an option.”

Darsan shuffled his feet. “Uncertain; maybe it’s misdirection. You know, they used the vent, but screwed with the cameras because they knew someone would check.”

“They singled out this place.” Finn told him. “She was very specific on the directions. This was part of the plan, but why would-”

Movement on the screen caught Finn’s eyes; a group of women in somewhat gaudy dress were walking across the main room of the restaurant shortly before Finn and company came up from the store room.

“Quarians.” Finn held up the pad so Mikal could see. “Who were they?”

Mikal squinted at the screen for a moment before saying, “Oh, that’s Siren’s Call. Their contract ended today. A shame; while I’ll be glad back to usual business, they certainly were easy on the eyes.”

Finn stared at the group. While they were certainly pleasant to watch (‘bad Finn!’ chastised a voice in Finn’s head that sounded suspiciously like Kyra), it was their dress that caught his eye. Their clothes were very flashy, as one might expect from entertainers, but each member wore a different color.

“Of course.” Finn whispered.

Mannon looked at him strangely. “Huh? What is it?”

Finn turned to Mikal again, asking, “Did you happen to hear any of their names?”

Scratching his head, Mikal said, “Give me a sec … yeah, I remember. The one in purple, she used to have a drink after dinner. Talked with me a bit; I tried to work my charm, but a lady like that’s a bit beyond an old barkeep like me. I did hear one of her friends call her Violet, though.”

Finn, Mannon, and Darsan traded glances. While the species may have been different, they all realized they were thinking the exact same thing.

Mikal chuckled, adding, “Ironic, huh?”

“Yeah, something like that.” Said Finn, kicking himself inwardly for not catching it earlier. Did they say where they were going?”

“Back to Rannoch, I think. They were just finishing up a tour.” Chuckling again, Finn said, “Lady Violet seemed rather homesick. Imagine I’d be too if … hey, where are you going?”

Finn was already halfway to the door. With parting glances at Mikal, Mannon and Darsan hurried after him.

“Finn!” Mannon called out.

“No time!” He told her. “We have to catch them before they leave!”

Finn shoved the door open and promptly bumped into a batarian in blue combat armor.

“Hey! Watch it human!” The batarian growled, shoving Finn back.

“Watch yourself, b-” Finn’s voice fell flat as he met the batarian’s eyes. It’s a common misconception that all batarians look alike, but Finn had spent enough time on Omega to notice the differences in key features … enough to know that the batarian was the same one who had tried to grab Jake during Finn’s last visit to the outlaw station.

“Wait a minute …” The batarian said, his four eyes narrowing. “You’re Finn Cresste.”

“Not by choice.” Finn muttered.


	6. Crazy Taxi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn, Darsan, and Mannon try to chase the thieves, only end up in a thrilling chase through Ilium with them in the lead.

There are times when all the preparation in the world doesn’t mean a thing; all the training, the practice, and meditation simply doesn’t help deal with a situation. In such cases, you have one chance; blind luck.

Finn stood over the unconscious batarian, dumbfounded as to the events of the last few seconds. He was dimly aware of the rifle he was now holding in one hand, and that a stinging pain was running through his other hand.

After a few moments, he realized Mannon was shaking his shoulder. Blinking he turned to see her face. She looked impressed.

“C’mon.” She told him, grabbing one of the batarian’s arms. “Help me drag him inside before more of them show up.

“Alarmed; too late!” Darsan pointed a massive hand down the street, where a group of Blue Suns were running toward them.

Finn’s mind quickly came back into focus. “C’mon!”

Without another word, he started running the other way down the street. There was a cry of panic from the crowd as one of the Blue Suns opened fire in their direction.

Finn’s radio activated with a slight crackle, followed by Jake’s voice. “Finn? Finn, are you there?”

“Not a good time!” Finn shouted as they continued to run.

“Oh, thank Glob! You scared the heck outta me, bro! What the heck is-”

“Not a good time!” A bullet ricochet off a nearby street sign as Finn and company fled through a parking lot. He tried a few of the car doors as they passed, but they were all locked.

“Can’t you just shoot one of the locks?” Mannon asked, glancing behind them.

“Yeah, that’s a great idea. Then we can get chased by the Blue Suns AND Security.”Finn glanced around, continuing, “We need a cab, but I don’t know how to call-”

A car landed right in front of their path, stopping them in their tracks. Finn raised his rifle, but the door opened to reveal the car was empty.

“Thank you for choosing Zuen-Tek Transportation.”

Finn blinked; the voice of the cab computer was the same as the voice who had been speaking to him on his internal comm.

As he hesitated, Mannon asked him, “What’s the problem? Get in already!”

Shaking his head, he climbed into the car, Mannon following him shortly. By the time Darsan had climbed in the back, Finn heard someone shout, “There, in the cab!”

Finn slammed his door shut and said, “Take us somewhere. Anywhere. Just get us out of here!”

“Docking bay J-27.” replied the woman, a hint of amusement just barely audible in her tone. “Please make sure all safety harnesses are secured while we take off.”

The Blue Suns had begun to circle around the cab, which meant they caught the brunt of the blast as the cab’s hover thrusters fired on full.

As the cab sped into motion, Finn breathed a sigh of relief. “Trouble, trouble, and more trouble; it’s all we seem to run into these days.”

“You’re the one who didn’t use an alias.” Mannon told him.

Rolling his eyes, Finn said, “Fine, I’ll think up a fake name after we-”

The cab rocked as something hit it on the backside.

“What the-” Finn’s fingers sped across the controls as he tried to figure out what had just happened. A screen displaying the rear camera feed appeared, showing two shuttles bearing the Blue Suns logo right behind them.

“Two Kodiak shuttles.” Mannon observed, sounding impressed. “Oh, they really like you, Finn.”

Finn glared at her before turning his attention to the controls. “C’mon.” He muttered, tapping at the console, “There’s got to be a manual control on this thing somewhere.”

A spark from the console made him yelp and jerk his hands back.

“Please refrain from attempting to access the controls.” Said the woman’s voice in a pleasant tone.

“I’m a pilot.” Finn told it indignantly. “We’re being chased.”

The cab suddenly dove straight down. It flew downward through multiple lanes of traffic, narrowly avoiding more than one car in the process. Mannon and Finn were fortunately strapped in, but poor Darsan was tossed about in the back compartment as the cab spun and swerved.

“Terrified; we’re going to crash!”

Finn wanted to comfort the elcor, but wasn’t sure what to say.

The cab abruptly pulled out of its descent into a district filled with towers and buildings still under construction. A quick glance at the rear camera feed showed that the Kodiak shuttles, though a little farther back than they had been before, were still hot on their trail.

The cab blasted through the construction zone and into the skeletal framework of what looked to be the beginnings of an impressive skyscraper. The Kodiaks followed them into the framework, but it didn’t take long for the larger vessels to clip one of the beams, smashing one of its front-mounted machine guns into scrap.

Who or whatever was controlling the cab was no slouch, Finn begrudgingly admitted. She wove through the framework of the buildings with a skill and grace that even he found impressive, if not quite on his level. Never once did they actually hit, scrape, or even bump into part of the construction. The same couldn’t be said for their pursuers, however; Kodiak shuttles weren’t known for being particularly maneuverable, and while the Blue Sun pilots were doing an impressive job matching the cab’s speed, by the time the cab flew out of the skyscraper framework, one of the shuttles had smoke coming from the right-side rear engine, and only one had a functioning weapon.

They were flying over a series of warehouses. Even when building something as basic as warehouses, the asari architects managed to imbue their work with a sense of grace and beauty.

Unfortunately, Finn and his friends were in no position to be sightseeing at the moment. The cab flew low to the ground, scarcely higher than street level. Had the area been populated, they would have surely hit something.

The Kodiaks didn’t follow this time, no doubt unwilling to get into a chase in the narrow alleyways between buildings.

“Smart.” Finn commented as the camera panned to keep an eye on them.

“Don’t compliment the people trying to kill us.” Mannon glanced back at Darsan, asking, “You still in one piece back there?”

Darsan let out a moan. He tried to sort out his limbs and stand for a moment before giving up. “Plaintively; I think I’ll just stay sitting for now.”

“Ten minutes until destination is reached.” The cab voice said pleasantly.

“Thank you.” Finn said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

The alleyways provided the cab perfect cover from its pursuers. Many of the roads were partially covered by nearby buildings, making it difficult to observe the cab as it sped through the gaps. They never remained hidden for long, though, and barely five minutes had passed before they reached the edge of the warehouse area, where a large open park had been constructed.

“Here we go.” Mannon breathed, bracing herself as best she could in her seat.

The moment the cab flew out of the alleyways, the Kodiaks zoomed in on them like hungry cats spotting a mouse. While they couldn’t quite catch up with the cab, they were able to stay right behind them.

As a few shots pinged off the back of the car, Darsan said, “Nervously; we need cover!”

“Not far now.” Finn told him, checking the city map. “The park’s not that big.”

“Hang on.” Mannon said, her eyes on the rear-view screen. “They just opened their side door.”

“What?” Finn looked at the camera and saw she was right. Several Blue Suns mercs were visible inside, one of which was holding something that looked like a heavy gun with a small dish on the end instead of a nuzzle. It fired off a strange blue pulse that moved too quickly to dodge.

The cab rocked slightly, but otherwise seemed unharmed.

“Grateful; they missed!”

“We felt it hit.” Mannon argued. “Maybe it just didn’t work?”

Finn started to agree with her when he realized the camera screen had frozen. He tapped a few controls, but there was no response from the console.

“Uh oh.” Finn muttered as he tried to get the system unlocked. “Uh, guys? We’ve got a problem: the computer’s fried.”

“What?” Mannon tried a few controls. “The whole system looks to have seized up. It must’ve been some kind of ion pulse.”

“Worried; then who’s driving?”

Finn and Mannon looked at each other before looking out the front window. The cab was beginning to angle down towards the side of a skyscraper.

“Crap!” Finn grabbed the sides of the console and said, “Mannon, help me get this off!”

Together, they managed to yank off the control panel. It was a bit of a mess, but Finn had a good idea of what he needed to do. As he started pulling wires, Mannon called out, “Finn!”

“I’m …” His eyes darted up mere seconds before the car crashed through a massive glass window.

The impact shook the car enough for Finn to drop the wires he was holding. As the car scraped across the floor of the room it now occupied, numerous crashes and shatterings could be heard around them. As the vehicle finally slid to a complete halt, Finn, Mannon, and Darsan sat in silence for a long moment before letting out a universal sigh of relief.

Quickly returning his attention to the controls, Finn picked up the wires he had dropped.

Mannon asked, “Can’t we just get out of the cab?”

“The Blue Suns knocked us out on purpose; they’ll be expecting us to leave on foot. Fortunately, I should be able to get us up and running in a minute or two.”

“Worried; can you speed that up?”

“Are they behind us?” Finn glanced at the back of the vehicle, expecting Darsan to be staring out the back panel. To his surprise, the Elcor was staring straight ahead, through the front window.

A feeling of dread passed over Finn as he slowly turned his head around and looked out the front window. From the look of the room, the cab had crashed into some kind of art gallery. Most of the pieces were on the ground, presumably broken (Finn never was much for modern art), but it was the two asari in yellow combat armor staring at them with dumb-founded expressions that caught his eye.

“Oh lord.” Finn quickly returned his attention to the controls and frantically started trying to get the cab’s system to reboot.

“Finn, they’re Eclipse.” Mannon told him.

“I noticed that, thanks.” Finn muttered. “Now shut up and let me work!”

One of the asari tapped the side of her head and said something that didn’t make it through the walls of the cab. Whatever it was, Finn knew it couldn’t be good.

With a final twist, the power systems in the cab died.

“Excellent. Mannon, help me get the panel back on while the system reboots.”

Just as they managed to secure the panel back into place, a large lift in the back of the gallery opened, revealing about ten more Eclipse soldiers led by an asari in a night dress. She looked around at the gallery with a horrified expression before setting her sights on the cab.

“What in the name of the Goddess …”

“Horrified; that is Kyrie Nelvana.”

“And who is that?” Finn asked, his hand tapping the side of the control console impatiently.

“Horrified; she is the primary benefactor of Eclipse. I’ve met her before at charity fund-raisers back while I was working near Dekuuna. She funds the majority of their organization’s operations. Finn, she’s the boss!”

Finn looked up at Kyrie just as she spotted him through the glass of the cab. In a matter of moments, her face went from disbelieving to horrified to enraged.

She pointed at Finn, shouting, “I want his head!” loud enough to be heard inside the cab.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon …” Finn’s eyes lit up as the control panel suddenly burst to life. “Hell yeah! Everyone hold on!”

The cab rose shakily from the ground. Finn spun it about, intending to exit through the same hole, only to find the Blue Suns shuttles fast approaching. Thinking fast, he turned to the next nearest window that led out and hit the accelerator. More artifacts smashed and banged off the cab’s hull before they managed to crash through the window and out into the city.

The Blue Suns were on them in a second. Finn reactivated the rear-view mirror just in time to see the side door open again.

“Crap.” Finn muttered. “Here we go!”

Finn pulled the cab into a steep vertical climb. The shuttles followed with some difficulty; traffic was thicker in that part of the city. Weaving around the skyscrapers while doing his best to avoid other vehicles, Finn kept his eyes on the path ahead while Mannon watched the rear-view feed like a hawk.

As they drew near the top of the scraper, Mannon said, “We lost the one with the knock-out gun.”

“Good.”

“Not really. The one still following us has a gun.”

Finn let out a frustrated growl. As they rose past the skyscraper’s spire, he pulled the cab into a steep drive.

“Frustrated; not again!” Darsan said as he was pressed against the back of Finn and Mannon’s seats.

“Sorry!” Finn shouted over the rising noise of the engine. “Just hold on!”

The proximity warning suddenly activated. Finn winced at the loud claxon. “The hell?”

“Sharp right!” Mannon shouted.

Finn reacted instantly. Moments later, a missile blasted past them, mere inches from their hull.

“The hell? Massani outfitted them with missiles?” asked Finn, his mind racing for a plan of escape.

“It’s not the Blue Suns.”

Finn glanced at the rear-view feed; there were two more air-cars behind the remaining Blue Suns Shuttle, both painted yellow and adorned with the emblem of the Eclipse.

“What the hell?” Finn said, frustration in his voice. “I thought Ilium was supposed to be less dangerous than Omega!”

He jerked the wheel to the side, making the cab sharply swerve around the corner of another scraper. As a car hiding behind the corner quickly pulled around and started following him with lights blazing, Finn couldn’t help but snort with amusement.

“Finn,” Mannon began, “We’ve got another-”

Finn interrupted, “We’ve got Blue Suns and Eclipse chasing us. Might as well have Security on our tail as well. Hell, why don’t we just send a message to the Saints? They’re always looking for a good time.”

With four cars behind them, things were looking rather bleak. Fortunately for Finn and company, Eclipse, Blue Suns, and Security didn’t exactly mix well. One of the Eclipse vehicles suddenly shook as it was hit from behind by the other Blue Suns ship as it caught up with the chase. The Eclipse vehicle continued straight as Finn dove through a commercial district low enough to see people turning their heads and staring at the chase.

The Blue Suns shuttles moved to take positions on either side of the remaining Eclipse, when the one holding the merc with the knock-out gun took a direct hit from one of the Eclipse car’s missiles. The flaming wreckage sped to the ground as more Ilium Security vehicles joined the chase.

“We need to get away from the populated areas before those nuts burn the place into cinders!” Mannon told Finn.

“Agreed.” Finn brought the cab into a controlled ascent as they turned into another area filled with heavy construction.

Finn’s internal communicator activated. “Finn, I just spotted a bunch of …”

“Still not a good time Jake.” Finn’s eyes darted over the cityscape. “We’re being chased by the Blue Suns, the Eclipse, and Ilium security.”

“That’s you?! Why didn’t you tell me you were planning to go on a high-speed car chase?”

Rolling his eyes, Finn said, “Wasn’t exactly part of the plan.”

“Hang on!”

As the communication stopped, Mannon asked, “Who are you talking to?”

“Jake. He just told me to hang on.”

“Why?”

Before Finn could respond, a massive cranes bearing a sizable section of skyscraper quickly spun their way. Finn managed to avoid it just barely, but the other vehicles weren’t close enough to do the same. Most of the security cars quickly swerved away. The Eclipse car and the Blue Suns shuttle tried to slip past the massive building block, but only the Blue Suns vessel was fast enough to make it. The Eclipse car smashed into the side of the skyscraper fragment and didn’t come out the other side.

“Ha-ha!” Finn said triumphantly. “Awesome work, Jake! Just one left now.”

“Good! Keep going straight, man; you’re not far from my position. I’m at-”

A burst of fire hit the cab right in the engine. The cab began to shake as the engine struggled to keep functioning.

“Dammit!” Finn fought to keep control of the cab as it began to slowly descend, smoke billowing out of its backside. A quick glance at the map showed them nearing a docking bay, unfortunately not the one where the Ulasomorf was waiting.

“What’s wrong?” Jake asked frantically.

“We’ve been hit.” Finn told him. “I think I can get the cab down safely, though.”

“Finn!” Mannon said, her eyes on the rear screen. “They’re moving in position to attack!”

“Anxiously; shoot them first!”

“With what?” Finn asked, gripping the controls with white-knuckled hands. “It’s a cab!”

He wasn’t lying; there was nothing he could do at the moment, other than hope to whatever gods might be listening that he could land the cab without killing the lot of them.

The Blue Suns shuttle was moving in for the kill; it drew closer and closer until Finn could make out the features of turian pilot.

The cab’s comm activated. For a moment, Finn thought his mysterious benefactor was responsible, but a gruff masculine tone spoke instead of the playful feminine voice he had heard before. “Cresste! I know you can hear me; surrender now.”

“Like hell.” Finn replied. “You can tell your boss to go jump off a bridge.”

“Massani only wants you. Would you truly bring death to your friends just to have one final moment of defiance?”

Finn stared silently ahead for a few moments. The cab’s engine wouldn’t last long; one more hit, and they’d be blasted out of the air. With a sigh, he asked, “Will they be allowed to go free?”

“Finn!” Mannon said, a shocked expression on her face. “You can’t-”

“Surrender yourself, and they’ll be spared. I give you my word.”

“Incredulously; Finn, you can’t just give yourself up!” Darsan told him. “We’re in this together, till the bitter end.”

“That’s right.” Mannon agreed, her hand on Finn’s arm. “We started this together, and that’s how we’re gonna end it. I don’t know how, but I’m sure you’ll get us out of this.”

Without warning, the Blue Suns shuttle exploded. The force of the explosion rocked the cab a bit, but Finn was too surprised to notice. Mannon let out a slightly nervous laugh of relief as the remnants of the shuttle fell through the sky and disappeared below them.

“What the hell was that?” Finn asked, his eyes darting from the front window to the rear camera feed.

“I don’t know!” Mannon told him, her eyes again on the rear-view feed. “I don’t see anyone else behind us!”

Finn couldn’t ponder the mystery for long; the ground was fast approaching. With a final groan, the engine finally died a good one-hundred feet from the ground.

“Everyone hold on!” Finn said, bracing himself as best he could. “This isn’t going to be pretty!"


	7. Catch a Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a landing of sorts, Finn and his friends sneak aboard the ship the Siren's Call call home.

White haze filled Finn’s vision. He was sure he was dead until he tried to move. As his joints answered with various levels of soreness, he realized that his vision was beginning to clear, revealing what was left of the cab’s controls.

There was a groan behind him, followed by, “Disbelieving; are we alive?”

“I’m afraid so.” Mannon popped her neck and let out a relieved sigh.

“Can’t say the same for the cab, though.” Finn tried the handle of his door, only to find it stuck. He managed to kick it open on the third try, which helped clear the rest of the smoke out of the cab. He and Mannon stumbled out of their respective doors and took a moment to steady themselves before helping Darsan. It was difficult, but they managed to get the elcor out of the cab with relatively little difficulty.

“Finn?” asked the mysterious woman hijacking Jake’s frequency. “You reached the J-27 docking bay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” Finn replied, not bothering to hide his sarcasm. “We’re all fine. Thanks for asking.”

“Are you there?”

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Finn said, “Look, we almost died a dozen times back there. We would have been toast if I hadn’t managed to get the cab up and running again, so as you can guess, I’m not in a particularly good mood right now.”

“Keep your voice down!”

“Why? So my friends don’t find out? I think they deserve to know why they almost died!”

“Finn?” Mannon asked, both she and Darsan giving him strange looks. “Who are you talking to?”

“The real thief. That’s right, isn’t it?” Finn asked. “The person who really stole the Creator’s Tear. She’s the one who let me out of my cell.”

Alarmed, Mannon asked, “You helped steal the Creator’s Tear?”

“No!” Finn sighed and explained, “She planted it on me while we were watching Siren’s Call. She promised to help clear my name if I helped her get it back, but I’m beginning to wonder if it’s worth the trouble.”

“Look,” said Finn’s mysterious benefactor, “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help more back there, but time’s a factor here.”

“Who are you?” Finn demanded. He was tired of being chased, tired of the nightmare that had come about from what was to be just a routine mission. “You expect me to trust you, to just go wherever you tell me. The least you could do is give me a name!”

There was a long pause. “Fair enough. My name is Hikari Goto.”

“Hikari.” Finn repeated. It wasn’t much, but at least he could put a name to the voice now. “Fine. I’m guessing you know Mannon and Darsan.”

“Indeed. Tell Darsan I like his hat.”

“She likes your hat.” Finn told Darsan, prompting the elcor to give another one of his rare smiles.

Turning his attention to his surroundings, Finn said, “We’re at … a docking port.”

“That’s a bit vague?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure which one. I think it’s J-27, but I was a bit too busy to double check the map.” Finn told her. “The cab’s pretty much totaled.”

“Cripes.” Mannon said, her eyes on her omni-tool, “We’re all over the local extranet news, Finn.”

Finn glanced over at the console to see a news feed displaying a replay of the moment the cab slid by the large chunk of construction. A smaller screen showed a zoomed in version, with Finn’s face faintly visible.

“Sarcastic; nice headshot, Finn.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Shaking his head, Finn glanced around the area. It didn’t take long to spot a large electronic bulletin board that read ‘Docking Area J-27’.

Nodding, Finn said, “Looks like we made it, Hikari.”

“Excellent!” Hikari said, glee clear in her voice. “Damn, you’re a lucky bastard.”

“Thanks for that.” Finn replied dryly.

“There’s no time to lose; you’re looking for the Merida. It’s a modified asari transport, should be in bay five.”

The three of them ran into the docking area. Security seemed lax; aside from a decontamination field, there was nothing that hindered their progress. There wasn’t a single officer in the security scan point either.

Running his finger around the rim of a cup of coffee, Finn commented, “Still warm. It’s like whoever was on duty just took off all of a sudden.”

“Don’t worry about security, Finn. I’ve taken care of it.” Hikari told Finn, a smug tone in her voice.

Finn raised an eyebrow, though he was pretty sure she couldn’t see him. “What does that mean?”

“It means that they’re busy with something else. I’m not an idiot, Finn; if you and your friends get caught, I’ll never get my Creator’s Tear back. Now hurry up! Security’s thick, but they’ll catch on eventually.”

The docking bay was much more spacious than the one where the Ulasomorf had been directed. Thanks to the wide space between the individual bays, Finn and company were able to get a good look at the ships in dock; there were a few volus cargo carriers, a rather nice-looking turian ship of a build that Finn didn’t recognize, a very nice and quite large luxury starship marked with the symbol of the Zuen-tech corporation, and a few smaller obviously private vessels.

Finally, they saw it; in the back of one of the rear docking bays was a vessel just a bit larger than the Ulasomorf. Finn could tell it was the Merida from its smooth curves that signified its clearly asari design, though seeing the name ‘Meridia’ written on the side with the silhouette of a dancing quarian pretty much made it clear to anyone who looked at it.

“Found it.” Finn told Hikari. “Damn, that’s a big ship for a dancing troupe.”

“Great! All that’s left is to grab the Creator’s Tear and get out before they realize you’re there.”

“I was afraid you’d say that.” Finn muttered, motioning the others to follow quietly.

As the group hurried towards the vessel, Finn spotted the cargo ramp. A quarian in oil-smudged clothes worked frantically at a control console at the top of the ramp, possibly because of the four-legged dog robot hiding beneath the ramp.

“It’s Jake!” Mannon whispered.

Finn held up a hand for silence; the quarian hadn’t noticed them yet, and Finn wanted to keep it that way. Careful to move so that the bulkhead of the Meridian shielded them from view, they continued approaching until they were right beside the asari vessel.

Finn tapped the side of his head. “Jake, can you hear me?”

“Hang on.” Hikari’s voice answered. There was a brief burst of static followed by Jake’s voice saying, “Finn! There you are! About time you dragged your sorry butt here!”

“Hey, Jake. Sorry it took me so long, but-”

“Yeah, Hikari filled me in.”

“She did?” Finn smacked himself in the head, saying, “Of course she did. She’s been talking to you all this time, hasn’t she?”

“Yup. I’m still a bit mad she messed with our special bro-link, but if it’ll get you in the free and clear, count me in.”

Finn smiled. “What would I do without you, bro? Listen, hold tight; I’ll see if I can’t deal with our engineer friend.”

Motioning for the others to remain where they are, Finn straightened up and strode around the part of the hull obscuring them from view. “Oy, there you are!”

The quarian jumped at the sound of Finn’s voice. Terror clear in his tone, the man asked, “Who are you?”

“Who, me? I’m Engineer Bob, Ilium troubleshooting and repair. Heard about your little problem and got sent to lend a hand.”

“We didn’t send a request.” the quarian said uneasily.

Finn patted the console, saying, “Didn’t have to; you’re still tied into the Ilium grid. Something goes wrong, and my department gets a note. So what’s the trouble?”

“Uh …” The quarian stuttered as Finn pushed past him to get to the console. After pretending to analyze the system for a minute, Finn nodded, saying, “Oh, I see what it is.”

“Y-you do?” The quarian moved to Finn’s side to get a better look at the screen.

Finn put his arm on the quarian’s shoulder and pointed with his other hand at the console. “Right here.”

As the quarian squinted, Finn activated his omni-tool, saying, “There’s a robot dog chewing on the power cables.”

“What? What in the-” The quarian’s body stiffened as a low-level electrical pulse shot from Finn’s omni-tool and left him unconscious. Finn quickly caught the falling quarian and dragged him inside the ship, calling out, “We’re in.”

Jake ran up the ramp, followed a few moments later by Mannon and Darsan. Mannon looked at the quarian, concern in her eyes as she asked, “You didn’t hurt him, did you?”

“Nah.” Finn sat the quarian down beside a large cargo container. “He’s just knocked out.”

The console activated. “Come on, Noir! Why haven’t you got that ramp up yet?”

Trying his best to mimic the quarian engineer’s voice, Finn replied, “Sorry; got distracted.”

“Distracted? By the ancestors, Noir, get focused! We need to get out of here now!”

As if in response, a loud siren flared to life in the not-too distance. Mannon and Darsan stared at Finn as he fumbled with the controls.

“Damn it, security’s on us! Noir, we’re heading out. If you can’t get the ramp shut, activate the emergency shield and get out of there!”

As the comm shut down, the entire ship began to shudder.

“What are we going to do?” Mannon asked, steadying herself against a large crate. “If they take off-”

“Think that’s pretty much a given at this point.” Finn told her. “Damn; Jake’s messed this up good.”

His eyes widened. Running to the edge of the ramp, Finn shouted, “Oy! Jake! Get on board!”

“You got it, bro!”

Moments later, Jake ran into view. The ship had already begun to lift off, but with an impressive leap, Jake managed to land on the ramp.

Running up to Finn, he said, “Hang on! I’ve got this!”

Jake’s back panel recessed. Instead of his usual buster cannon, however, he had a small pen-like device that looked oddly familiar. The blue light on the end activated, accompanied by a shrill sound that made the hairs on the back of Finn’s neck stand on end. Almost immediately, the ramp began to rise.

As it clamped into place, the console’s comm activated again. “Good work, Noir. Strap in; we’re heading out now.”

“Where are we-” Finn’s question was interrupted as the ship shot forward, causing everyone in the hold to stumble.

As the inertial dampeners kicked in, Finn realized everyone was looking at him.

“Well,” He said with a weak grin. “At least we got off of Ilium.”


	8. Hitchhikers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyra's younger brother (by three minutes) Noir meets Finn Cresste and Company.

Noir the quarian engineer woke up to find himself surrounded by strangers, most notably by an elcor with a ridiculous hat, and a robot he recognized to his amazement as an old KEI-9 unit. The man who had ‘assisted’ him was there too, as well as a woman who looked startlingly similar to Lady Scarlet. He stared at her a moment, wondering if he was imagining her, but as the haze began to lift from his thoughts, he realized though the face was the same, the woman was definitely human.

“Door’s secure.” said the robot dog as he walked up to the man.

“That was quick.” the man said, patting the robot dog on the top of its display. “Where did you get that thing anyway?”

“Back on Omega. Remember? You found it in that storage room. It set off all the machines, remember?”

“Oh yeah. I thought it was a screwdriver or something.”

“Well, whatever it is, it made everything in the docking bay go haywire. Makes me feel a bit funny too. Then again, I’ve always been a bit funny.”

“Keep thinking that.” Despite his words, the man smiled at the robot dog.

Still a bit groggy, Noir mumbled something even he couldn’t understand.

“Ah, he awakens. See?” The man said to the others. “I told you I didn’t kill him.”

The human woman glared at him before moving closer and putting a hand to his head.

“Are you okay?” She asked, the concerned look on her face coupled with her resemblance to Lady Scarlet almost overloading his brain then and there.

“Haaaaah.” He managed, his cheeks burning.

The elcor with the strange hat leaned closer, his small eyes squinting at Noir. “Curious; is he blushing?”

“Honestly.” The woman said, a slight red tinge in her own cheeks.

It was about this point that Noir realized that he had been tied to a large barrel with what looked to be all the wiring from the cargo bay’s security cameras.

“Ah.” He said dourly. “I should’ve known.”

“Relax, Noir.” The man said, smiling cheerily. “We ain’t here to hurt you. We just need to know where the Creator’s Tear is.”

Noir’s eyes narrowed. “You’re working with Goto, aren’t you?”

The man glanced at his companions for a moment before nodding. “Well, yeah, but only because we were implicated in stealing the Creator’s Tear in the first place.”

Swearing in quarian, Noir muttered, “I didn’t make the call to security.”

The man’s eyebrows raised. “Oh?”

Noir couldn’t help but sigh. “Me and my big mouth.”

“I think you’d better start talking.” the man advised him, leaning back against a stack of crates.

Sighing again, Noir said, “Lady Scarlet spotted Goto planting the Creator’s Tear on you. Once you all left, she called security and told them you had it.”

“Did it occur to you that maybe I was being duped?”

“How could we know?” Noir asked. “For all we knew, you were working with her. Once we found out who you were, we tried to get you released, but-”

“But Goto had already sprung me.” Sighing, the man muttered, “Look, as much as I appreciate that you want to return quarian artifacts to Rannoch …”

“Quarian artifacts? The Creator’s Tear?” Noir shook his head, saying, “It’s not a quarian artifact.”

“Of course it isn’t.” The man said, an exasperated tone in his voice. “Well, at least I don’t have to feel guilty about stealing it back now. Where is it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Finn.” The woman said, putting a hand on the man’s shoulder.

Sighing, the man said, “Noir … it is Noir, isn’t it? Perhaps we got started on the wrong foot. This is Sherle, Darsan, and Jake.”

“Hi!” The KEI-9 unit said cheerily, the cartoon dog face on its display smiling.

“And I’m Finn Cresste.”

Raising an eyebrow, Noir asked, “The Finn Cresste?”

“You know me?” Finn asked, sounding a little surprised.

“By the ancestors, I thought Violet was joking! Yeah, I know you! You’re dating my sister!”

Finn’s eyes widened. “You’re Kyra’s brother?”

“Yeah! She’s my twin … though the way she lords the astounding five minutes she has on me, you’d think I was younger than her by at least three years. She’s written me about you and your mission. You really know a surviving geth consciousness?”

“Billy?” Finn asked, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah. He’s part of our little team.”

“Maker’s breath.” Noir whispered. “I gotta admit, I thought she was putting me on for awhile there. The Reapers, Cerberus … that’s some heavy stuff, man. How’d you get caught up in all this stuff with the Creator’s Tear?”

“Picking up an agent of the Shadow Broker.” Mannon told him. “That, and bad timing.”

“Dourly; story of our lives.” Darsan commented.

“And now our ship’s stuck on Ilium until we prove we’re innocent.” Finn gave Noir a knowing look. “You can see how this is a problem.”

“Well, Violet has the Creator’s Tear,” Noir admitted, “But where are you going to go after you steal it? We don’t have any shuttles or lifeboats.”

“Damn.” Mannon muttered. “I didn’t think about that.”

Finn put his hand on her arm. “We’ll worry about that later.”

“Curious.” said Darsan. “You said the Creator’s Tear wasn’t a quarian artifact. Why did you steal it?”

“I don’t know the particulars, but I know it has to do with a much bigger score. Lady Scarlet’s been planning this for a long time. We’ve already got the Haelstrum’s Heart and the Eye of the Abyss.”

“Haelstrum’s Heart.” Mannon muttered. “So that’s why your group was on Neukara.”

“Right. Put together, they make some kind of map.” Noir told them, shifting uncomfortably in his bonds. “I don’t know the details; they only brought me along because I’m good at fixing things.”

His kidnappers looked at each other for a long moment.

“Cautious; what are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking we need to get a message to the Ulasomorf, otherwise we’re going to have a heck of a time getting away after we find the Creator’s Tear.” Finn glanced at Noir. “Any way we could hack into communications without anyone noticing?”

“Not likely.” Noir told them. “Amber watches the comm like a hawk.”

“What about Hikari?” Jake asked. “Can’t she help?”

Noir glanced at the group for some fourth member he might have missed earlier, but found no one else.

Finn shook his head. “I haven’t heard from her since we got on board. I get the feeling we’re on our own for the moment.”

“Well, we can’t just sit here.” Mannon said, putting her hands on her hips. “They’re going to realize we’re here eventually.”

A silence fell over the group.

Noir fidgeted in his bonds for a moment. “Uh, could I make a suggestion?”

Everyone looked at him.

Feeling very self-conscious, Noir said, “You could use your leverage to get them to set you down somewhere.”

“Our leverage?” Mannon asked uncertainly.

“Er, me.”

Finn looked uncomfortable. “You mean, use you as a hostage? I’m not sure I’m down with that.”

“You knocked me out and tied me up.” Noir pointed out.

“Yeah, but that’s …er, tradition. Sneaking aboard, knocking out the guard, stealing his clothes and tying him up.”

“Stealing his …” Noir glanced down at his bare legs. His worksuit lay in a heap in his lap, giving him at least a little modesty. Through the haze of his embarrassment, he found himself keenly aware of Mannon blushing and pointedly looking away.

“Er, sorry. I was hoping I’d fit, but …” Cheeks red, Finn let out an exasperated sigh and said, “Look, I’m not cool with the hostage thing.”

“Why not?” Jake asked him. “You kept Massani at gunpoint.”

“Massani?” Noir asked, eyes widening. “You mean that’s true too? You held Fuego Massani at gunpoint?”

“More like singularity point.” Scowling, Finn said, “I didn’t shoot him. Besides, that was different. We were trying to get away.”

Clearing his throat, Noir said, “There’s another option.”

“C’mon, Finn!” Jake said, wagging his tail end. “We could pull off convincing space pirates!”

“Space pirates?” Finn repeated incredulously.

“Guys!” Noir said, trying to interject.

Shaking her head, Mannon said, “Well, what choice do we have? It’s not like we have much to work with.”

“I can help you!”

Everyone stopped talking and looked at Noir.

“Let me go.” He told them, “I’ll help you find the Creator’s Tear and get a message to your ship.”

“But why-” Finn said.

“-If you take me with you.”

The two humans stared at him, obviously surprised by this turn of events. The elcor’s expression didn’t change, though that was hardly surprising.

Taking a deep breath, Noir said, “Kyra’s told me about what you’re facing. I know she’s a good tech, but even she needs help sometimes. C’mon; that’s two descendants of John and Tali Shepard. You couldn’t ask for more.”

They continued to look at him. Finn seemed to be considering, though Mannon still looked a little confused.

“I joined up with Siren’s Call because I thought it’d be an adventure, but I’ve been little more than a glorified maintenance worker working for a bunch of thieves. I want to do something more, something important.” Cheeks flushed, he nodded at Finn, saying, “Surely you can understand that.”

A small smile spread across Finn’s face. “Yeah, I guess I can.”

“Finn?” Mannon asked, sounding surprised. “Are you sure?”

Finn severed the cords binding Noir to the barrel with his pocket knife. “Yup. Okay then, Noir; you’re part of the team.”

Noir leapt to his feet in excitement, forgetting for a moment that since his worksuit was a modified envirosuit, he never wore underwear. Seeing the blush in Mannon and Finn’s cheeks, he quickly grabbed his suit and hurried behind a stack of crates to get dressed.

“Okay then.” Finn said, clapping his hands together. “First matter of business is getting that message to the Ulasomorf.”

“Questioning; shouldn’t we go for the Creator’s Tear first?”

“Negative.” Finn replied, running his omni-tool along the storage bay wall. “We’ll secure our escape route first. If worst comes to worst, we can head straight back to Trident and hope this mess dies down on its own. Noir; you mentioned that the ship’s commis being closely watched?”

“That’s right.” Noir said, stepping from behind the crates as the modified environment suit tightened around him. “Amber watches the scanners and communications, and she’s been on edge since we left Rannoch a year ago. She rejected about twenty of my replies to Kyra over the last few months, claiming I was revealing sensitive information.”

Glancing at Mannon, Finn commented, “Sounds like someone’s a bit worried about whoever might be listening in. Maybe we can use that to our advantage.”

“Curious; How?”

Finn patted Darsan on the shoulder, “Dunno. Just saying it might be useful. Any ideas, Noir?”

“Hang on!” Mannon interrupted, her eyes on Noir. “No offense, but why should we trust you? For all we know, you’re not even really Kyra’s younger brother.”

“Only by five minutes!” Noir said indignantly.

“Noir!”

Everyone jumped except Darsan at the approaching voice.

“Hide!” Noir hissed as two sets of footsteps quickly approached them.

Finn dove into the industrial plastic barrel to which Noir had previously been tied. Moving with a speed Noir had never seen in an elcor, Darsan hurried behind a stack of crates, Jake easily hiding beneath his hulking frame.

Seeing Mannon looking around frantically for a place to hide, Noir pointed to one of the massive wardrobes bolted to the walls of the storage bay. Nodding gratefully, Mannon quickly slid through the door and shut it behind her just as Lady Scarlet and Azure appeared around a large stack of supplies.

While the Lady Scarlet was not in truth nobility, she carried herself with an air both kind and caring that made it hard for others not to treat her as a true Lady. As she approached wearing her usual modest dark red dress, Noir couldn’t help but marvel again at her resemblance to the human Mannon.

Azure, on the other hand, wore a pair of rumpled jeans and a light-blue T-shirt that hung off of one shoulder.She had a pretty-enough face, Noir thought, but the almost constant look of annoyance marred whatever beauty she had, in his opinion.

“By the Ancestors, Noir!” Azure said irritably. “I thought you were going to get this mess organized.”

“Sorry, sis.” Noir replied, not bothering to mask his sarcasm. “I’ve been a bit too busy keeping this ship from falling apart.”

Azure opened her mouth to reply, but stopped immediately at a small gesture made by Lady Scarlet.

“It doesn’t matter.” Lady Scarlet said, her voice both quiet yet strangely authoritative. “With the Creator’s Tear in our possession, we will be heading to the Krogan DMZ. Is the Meridia in good enough shape to make the journey?”

Noir wanted to say no; the ship definitely needed an extended stay at a repair yard. The power core was in bad need of realignment, some of the outer plating was still damaged from their earlier run-in with the Blood Pack, and Violet’s tinkering with the drive systems was causing a serious imbalance of the power distribution grid.

Still, there was something about the Lady Scarlet that made it hard to say no. “We’ve got a few problems, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Lady Scarlet gave him one of her rare smiles. “I am glad to hear that. We are very near the end of this; I promise once we achieve our goal, we’ll return to Rannoch for proper repairs.”

Blushing, Noir said, “Of course, ma’am.”

Lady Scarlet bowed her head ever so slightly before walking away. Noir found his eyes drawn to the hem of her dress as it swept around her barely-visible feet.

Shaking his head, he turned back to his sister only to see her staring at him.

“What?” He demanded once Lady Scarlet had left the cargo bay.

“By the ancestors.” Azure said, her eyes widening. “Violet wasn’t kidding; you have a crush on her!”

Blushing, Noir muttered, “Oh, shut up.”

“You can’t honestly think you have a chance with her.”

“Don’t you have something better do?” He tried to turn away, but Azure grabbed his shoulder.

“Noir, she’s engaged. She’s going to get married when we get back to Rannoch, you know that.”

“Yes, I know that!” Noir snapped at her. “I’m not an idiot, Azure. I’m dealing with it, so would you just get off my back already?”

Azure raised her hands. “Hey, sorry for being honest!”

She passed him, heading toward the wardrobe where Mannon was hiding. Before Noir could open his mouth to try and distract her, the ship’s intercom activated.

“Violet, I changed my mind; could you bring me the taffeta dress instead?”

Rolling her eyes, Violet headed to a different wardrobe and pulled out a shimmering golden dress.

“Are you sure?” Violet asked. “You might have a more ostentatious dress somewhere down here.”

“Quite droll,” Auren replied, a slight slur in her voice as usual. “Be a dear and bring it to me, would you?”

“Fine.” Violet replied, but an audible click indicated the intercom had already been deactivated. Clearly annoyed, Violet stalked back to the lift.

Noir let out a sigh once the lift doors closed. “Thank the ancestors for that.”

He knocked on the side of the crates and said, “They’re gone.”

Mannon stepped out of the wardrobe as Finn popped his head out of the crate, foam peanuts sticking to his hair. Noir helped him out of the crate with a little difficulty.

“Thanks.” Finn said gratefully, wiping the foam peanuts from his body. “That was close.”

“Intrigued; did you see how much the one called Scarlet looked like Sherle?”

“Sherle?” Noir asked.

“Me.” Mannon told him. “Sherle’s my first name. I’m just used to everyone calling me Mannon from military training.”

After a momentary pause, she added, “I’m sorry, by the way.”

“For what?” He asked.

“For doubting you. If you want to come with us after we get out of here, it’s fine with me.”

“Agreeing; and with me!” Darsan patted Noir on the shoulder in a manner he probably thought was friendly, nearly knocking the breath out of him in the process.

Finn glanced in the direction Lady Scarlet and Azure had departed, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Y’know, I think I might just have a plan.”


	9. Space Pirates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mannon gets a message to the Shadow Broker while Noir attempts to steal the Tear of the Creator.

Mannon tugged at her dress as she rode the lift to the bridge.

“Stop doing that!” Finn told her through the intercom cleverly hidden in her hair. “You’re supposed to be acting natural.”

“It’s hard to act natural when you’re in a dress that’s too small!” Mannon snapped. Her voice now sounded like Lady Scarlet’s, thanks to a cleverly hidden voice modulator. Still, it felt strange to hear someone else’s voice come from her own mouth.

“The longer you complain, the longer you have to deal with it.”

“This isn’t going to work, Finn!”

“Of course it will!” It was Noir who spoke, sounding a bit embarrassed. “Amber thinks of Lady Scarlet as an older sister. She should do pretty much anything you ask her to. I’m telling you, with the makeup and the dress, you look just like her; just make sure you don’t uncover your ears. Amber’s really observant.”

“And if my dress pops open?” Mannon muttered, resisting the urge to viciously tug at her bosom. “I’m assuming quarian breasts look at least a little different. Right, Finn?”

She heard Finn let out an exasperated sigh. “I wouldn’t know.”

“Uh-huh.”

“God, you’re worse than Jan’Ce. Look, we haven’t slept together, all right? By the Creator, we’ve only know each other for a few months!”

“Almost half a year.” Mannon replied, her lips curving into a smile. “I saw you two down in the medical bay back on the Amonjara. Checking compatibility, wasn’t it?”

“She was just checking to see if we were compatible enough to have children. Sometimes, Omni-chirality isn’t quite enough to produce viable offspring. I mean, if we do end up … I mean, if I need to go through omni-conversion, in case we …”

“Is he blushing?” Mannon asked.

Three voices answered in harmony; Noir (“Er, yeah.”) and Jake (“Yup.”), and Darsan (“Emphatically; red as the strawberries he was feeding her last week.”)

“Gee, thanks guys. Always nice to know everyone’s so interested in my love life. Look, you’ll be there and out in less than a minute if everything goes to plan.”

“Yeah, it’s the ‘if everything goes to plan’ part that worries me.” Mannon quickly fell silent as the lift doors opened, revealing the bridge of the Merida.

While definitely of asari style, the bridge bore a touch of turian design, with the captain’s chair in the center of the bridge, surrounded by the various bridge stations. At the moment, there was only one person there, a rather young-looking quarian woman at one of the side consoles. She wore an orange tube top and a pair of short-shorts, and what appeared to be fuzzy slippers resembling some sort of animal Mannon wasn’t familiar with.

As Mannon approached, she noticed the young woman’s attention was fully focused on her console. At first she thought she was just focused on her job, but as she drew closer, she realized the young woman was playing some kind of puzzle game.

“Amber?” Mannon asked hesitantly.

The young quarian nearly jumped out of her seat. Holding a hand to her chest, she exclaimed, “Maker’s Breath! Don’t do that!”

“My apologies.” Mannon replied, bowing her head slightly. “I didn’t mean-”

“No,” Amber interrupted, raising her hand to stay Mannon’s apology even as her other hand quickly deactivated the game screen. “I just … you just startled me a bit, that’s all. Whatcha need?”

“It will only take a moment, I assure you.” Mannon told her, handing her the small flash drive Noir had supplied. “I need you to send this message to Trident.”

“Just Trident?” Amber asked as she took the drive. “That’s a bit vague for a message.”

“It has to be, I’m afraid.” Mannon told her. “The message is intended for the Shadow Broker.”

Amber’s pale eyes went wide. “The Shadow Broker?”

Mannon nodded slowly. “The message should register as junk data to Trident’s main communication array, but I’ve left a code in the static on a frequency the Shadow Broker is known to use for communicating to her agents.”

Amber fidgeted with the drive, saying, “Well, I can do that, but why are we contacting the Shadow Broker?”

“Violet identified Goto’s patsy as Finn Cresste, a known agent of the Shadow Broker. We must make sure she doesn’t mistake our actions as hostile to her operations.” Mannon gave her a patient smile. “Thank you, Amber. I appreciate you trusting me on this.”

Her cheeks darkening in an unmistakable blush, Amber quickly inserted the drive into the console. A few taps at her keyboard later, she nodded and turned back to Mannon. “It’s done.”

Mannon smiled kindly at Amber and gave her a sisterly kiss on the forehead. “You have my thanks.”

Amber’s cheeks darkened even more. Smiling, she shooed Mannon away. “All right, enough of that.”

As Mannon started to walk away, Amber asked casually, “So, how’s it coming with the map?”

Mannon froze, but only for a moment. “We’ll have the location within the hour.”

“Good.” Amber let out a sigh. “I miss Rannoch.”

“As do I.” Mannon told her. “I daresay we aren’t the only ones.”

Amber snorted. “Except Auren, you mean. All she cares about is being on stage.”

“Now, now.” Mannon chided Amber, grateful that Noir had taken the opportunity to give her info on every member of Siren’s Call, “We are all in this together.”

“If you say so.” Amber replied.

Against her better judgment, Mannon found herself putting her hand on Amber’s shoulder, asking, “Is something wrong?”

Amber shook her head. “No. I just …”

“Ask her if this is about Azure.” Noir whispered in Mannon’s ear.

“Is this about Azure?” Mannon asked, despite the feeling that she was wandering blind into unfamiliar territory.

The blush that rose on Amber’s cheeks made it clear that Noir was correct. “I just … I mean, doesn’t it bother you too? Auren took advantage of her.”

“Oh, lord.” Noir whispered. “A few months back, Auren and Azure spent a night together after getting drunk on brandy and Nectar.”

“Why would that bother-” Finn stopped suddenly and let out a sigh of realization.

“Curious; What? What is it?”

“Amber must have a crush on Azure.”

“Curious; but aren’t they both … Mildly aroused; Oh.”

Mannon smiled at Amber. “To be fair, they were both drunk.”

“I’ve been reading up on that Nectar stuff.” Amber told her. “It’s supposed to bring out a person’s true feelings. What if they really feel that way about each other?”

“Amber.” Mannon asked her. “Have they been together since?”

Amber looked away, mumbling, “No, but-”

Mannon made the young woman look at her. “Then you worry over nothing.”

Amber slowly nodded, but it was clear she was still upset. Mannon was only too familiar with the look in the young quarian’s eyes. Despite the circumstances, she felt sympathetic for Amber’s plight.

Mannon placed her hands over Amber’s. “Have you considered that maybe this is a sign that you should take the next step?”

“Sherle?” Noir asked, sounding startled. “What are you-”

“If you truly care for someone, you need to tell them before losing them forever.” Mannon continued. “I know, my dear sister.”

“You do?” Amber asked, her eyes wide.

Mannon nodded. “I had a crush on someone I worked with for years. He was just a repairman, but the way he tackled everything with all he had, the way he always greeted me with a smile … strong, yet kind.”

“And handsome?”

“I think he so.” Mannon’s smile fell. “Unfortunately, someone else thought so too, someone who wasn’t afraid of making the first move. I lost my chance because I was afraid, Amber. Now I’ll never know how things could’ve turned out had I the courage to tell him the truth. While I’ll always think of him as a good friend, I’ll never know what could have been.”

Amber stared at her, at a loss for words. While nothing but silence came from her earpiece, Mannon could imagine at least two people on the other side with a similar expression.

Blushing, Mannon said, “Tell her how you feel, Amber. If you don’t, you’ll only be able to wonder.”

Amber stared at Mannon for a few moments before leaping out of her chair and running for the lift.

As the doors shut behind her, Mannon let out a sigh.

A few moments passed before Finn’s voice came through her headpiece. “Sherle, I-”

“It’s okay. I’ve had enough time to get over you, and I wouldn’t trade our friendship for the world.” A smile slid across her face. “Now Darsan on the other hand …”

“Teasingly; Oh, no. I’m a free spirit, babe. No woman can cage me!”

Laughter sounded from both sides of the transmission, breaking the heavy mood.

Shaking her head, Sherle said, “I’m going to see if I can’t scrounge any more info from the bridge consoles. Go ahead and continue with the plan.”

“Are you sure?” Noir asked. “What if you run into someone else?”

“I think I can wing it.” Mannon told them. “You all get moving; it won’t take Liara long to figure out our position, and I’d like to make sure we’ve got the Creator’s Tear back by then.”

 

With a nod at Finn and Darsan, Noir patted his leg, saying, “Okay then; looks like we’re up, Jake.”

“Awesome!” Jake replied. He had a few different pieces temp-welded to his frame; just enough to make him look different enough to forestall suspicious should any of the members of Siren’s Call know what he looked like. Even his face-plate displayed a different image. It was still a cartoon dog, but the face was clearly different.

As they two headed for the lift, Finn called out, “Good luck, you two!”

“Hah!” Jake replied. “We don’t need luck! We’ve got the skills, yo!”

“Yo?” Finn shook his head. “Nevermind. Just try not to get caught, okay?”

“Hah! Only wimps try. We-”

“I get it! You’re a big dog! Now get going, already!”

Chuckling, Jake followed Noir into the lift. As the doors closed, Noir commented, “You two seem to be good friends.”

“Best friends.” Jake told him. “Ever since he was a kid. Found him on Earth when he was just a boy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He slapped a buncha junk together into a working hovercycle and used it to run away from home. Ran into me while we were both trying to stay out of the rain. Didn’t take long for us to be friends. Man, we raced all over New York in that battered old cycle.”

Shaking his head, Jake said, “Anyway, some bigwig eventually saw him flying and recognized the kid’s talent. It took a bit of convincing from both of us, but Finn eventually agreed to join the Academy. He’d probably still be there if his mother hadn’t passed.”

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Jake asked, “What about you? How did you end up with Siren’s Call?”

Shrugging, Noir said, “Not much of a story. My elder sisters joined first; Azure and Violet. Kyra and I had just come of age and were looking for something to serve as our pilgrimage-“

“Pilgrimage?” Jake interrupted, “Wasn’t that from back in the days quarians lived in a flotilla?”

“Well, yeah. It’s just tradition these days; instead of getting a place on a ship, you get a plot of land depending on how great your contribution is. Mind you, bringing a fat stack of money is just as good as any resource. That’s kinda why we’re here.”

“Gonna buy yourself a home, huh?” Jake nodded his head approvingly. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Well, it was. Thing is, we didn’t really know what we were getting into. At first, we thought it was just an entertainment troupe. I was in charge of stage effects and keeping the ship running … and pretty much any other technical thing we needed. Kyra helped me a lot, but she was there mostly to dance with the others. The travel, the shows, the code names-“

“Code names?”

“Violet, Azure, Scarlet.” Noir said, raising an eyebrow. “Think about it. You don’t think my name is really Noir, do you? Kyra was Viridia. That just made it more interesting to us; it was like having a secret identity. . It wasn’t until a gig on Eden Prime that we found out the dance troupe was just a cover. Kyra was so idealistic back then. Still is, I suppose; anyway, she left the group. It was a shame; she was such a good singer.”

“Still is.” Jake told him, wagging his tail end. “We do karaoke every Saturday.”

Noir grinned at the mechanical dog. “You participate?”

“Yup. Finn and I sang “I Suck at Call of Duty” last time. Oddly appropriate considering his skill with a gun.” They shared a chuckle at this.

The lift doors opened moments later, words engraved on the nearest wall informing them that they were on deck three. Noir patted his leg and said. “C’mon, boy.”

Jake barked happily and followed. Most of the space on the ship that wasn’t used for various ship operations were used by the crew. Being a civilian vessel by design, the rooms aboard the Merida were quite spacious, taking up three of the ship’s six decks. Noir usually slept down in the cargo bay, mostly because he liked to work late and his cot was a lot closer than his room on deck four. Still, he had been up there on occasion, and had a pretty good idea where his fellow thieves slept. Scarlet had a room up on deck two, as had Kyra back when she took the name Viridia: Auren, Violet, and Amber were on deck three, and Azure and Noir had rooms on the fourth floor, much to Noir’s chagrin.

It wasn’t hard to notice Auren’s door; she was always a bit on the messy side. Costumes hung on anything a hanger could be placed on, and discarded clothing lay around the floor as though she had simply flung it off on her way to bed without a care. Actually, Noir knew that was exactly the case; he had seen it before while talking with Violet once. Auren wasn’t much for modesty either.

Violet’s room was across from Auren’s. Azure used to sleep there, but after the incident on Neukaraa, she had switched rooms with her sister. Noir felt sorrier for Auren; she was a free spirit, a wild thing that loved everything and everyone. She was always flirting with everyone, even Noir. She had been flirting with him that day, alcohol clear on her breath and yet her eyes were as crystal clear as ever. He had been working on the air-conditioning in her room; somehow, she had managed to get one of her stage costumes completely entrapped in her room’s vent. He was still trying to extract the sequined silk when Azure stumbled into the room. Auren had smiled at her and asked, “Need something, hun?” The next thing Noir knew, the two of them were in bed, rapidly shedding their clothes as they kissed each other.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. He nearly ripped the costume in his haste to get out of there. “Ah, Auren.” He said, shaking his head.

Auren’s door opened revealing the woman herself in a glittery purple robe. Her long hair was naturally curly, and naturally white as snow as well. Her nectar habit left her eyes tinted yellow, though in truth it made her appear all the more exotic. Coupled with their natural luminescence, her irises appeared to be golden.

She smiled at Noir, a sleepy look in her eyes. “Oh. Hey there, Noir.”

“Hi, Auren.” Noir said, waving sheepishly. “I was just looking for Violet.”

“Oh, she’s in here. C’mon!” Before he could protest, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into her room.

Her room was definitely like her, Noir thought as he stared around at the mess. Clothes literally carpeted the floor, and her bed was a mess of pillows and comforters. A small vanity was crammed into the corner, on which rested an odd collection of makeup.

Violet was rummaging through some of the clothes. Glancing up at Noir, she said, “Oh. Hey, Noir. What brings you here?”

“Hoping for a look at our latest prize.” Noir said in what he hoped was a non-chalant voice.

“Oh!” Auren exclaimed. She reached into a pile of clothes and yanked out the evidence box Violet and Azure had taken from the security station.

Violet glared at Auren. “You’ve let me search for that damn thing for over an hour, and you knew where it was all this time?”

Auren shrugged, the smile on her face partially obscured by her hair.

Noir slid open the case and immediately let out a low whistle; the Creator’s tear was a magnificent blue gemstone. Just big enough to fit in the palm of his hand, the tear-shaped stone was smooth to the touch and felt unusually warm against his skin.

“Amazing.” He murmured shifting it from hand to hand. “Hard to believe this is part of the same set as the other stones.”

“Well, to be fair, the other stones weren’t exactly kept in a museum.” Violet said, crossing her arms and leaning back against one of the three large wardrobes in the room. “Who knows what they might have looked like years ago.”

“Do you think it affected the map?” Auren asked, sounding a little bored.

Violet shook her head. “Nah. The inner components are what matters; that’s what generates the map segments. Lady Scarlet’s up in observation figuring it all out right now.”

Noir snapped the lid shut and handed the box back to Violet. “Has she narrowed it down any?”

“Beyond the Krogan DMZ?” Violet shook her head. “Not yet. But soon. Then the real fun starts.”

“Great.” Noir said, shaking his head. “I’d better go get my gear ready; I’ve seen how what you consider fun generally ends.”

Chuckling, Violet patted him on the arm and said, “Hey, at least it’s better than fixing streetlights on Rannoch, right? Cheer up, brother. Just a bit further, and we’ll all be set for life.”

Jake let out a bark. Auren and Violet both looked at the mechanical dog with surprise in their eyes.

“Oh! I didn’t realize you brought a friend!” Auren leaned down on her knees and held out a hand. Jake made a great show of sniffing it before letting her pet him.

“Touch sensors on the plating.” Violet observed, squatting down beside Auren to get a better look at Jake. “That’s pretty impressive work; when’d you make this?”

Noir shrugged, saying, “Ah, here and there. Kyra kept talking about her boyfriend’s KEI-9 unit, and I’ve always wanted a pet; figured I’d just build one.”

“Oh, that’s so cool!” Auren rubbed the underside of Jake’s monitor plate. “And what’s your name, cutie?”

“He’s … uh … Rolph.”

“Rolph?” Violet asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yup.” Noir continued, “Rolph the Dog.”

“That’s … unusual.” Violet watched Auren rub Jake’s belly for a few moments before shaking her head and said, “I’m gonna go see if our fearless leader has the coordinates yet. Noir?”

“Hmm?” Noir shook his head and handed the box back. “Oh, right. Here ya go.”

“Thanks.” Violet told him as she slipped it into her pocket. “I’ll be sure to send Scarlet your regards.”

He felt his cheeks burn. “Ah, s-sure.”

Chuckling, Violet ruffled Noir’s hair before heading for the door.

“Well, I’d better get going to.” Noir said, rubbing the back of his head. “C’mere, boy.”

With a bark, Jake leapt to his feet and trotted over to Noir’s side. He had scarcely reached the door when a slender hand stopped his with a touch.

“Plenty of time before we get to the DMZ, Noir.” She said, moving close to him. “I was planning on taking a little nap. Of course, if you had a better idea …”

Flushing, he started towards the door again, only for Auren to wrap her arms around his stomach.

“I wish you’d say yes once in a while, hun.” She told him, her voice strangely serious for a change. “I get worried about you, all alone down there. One boy on a ship full of beautiful girls … it can’t be easy.”

“Well, it helps that some of them are family.” Noir told her.

Auren laughed, a light-hearted sound that never ceased to make Noir feel better. “I’d imagine so. Still, Scarlet is here.”

Noir couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “Yeah, she is. She is definitely here.”

Auren laid her head against his back. “What was she like?”

“Huh?”

“Back when you were kids. You grew up together, didn’t you?”

Noir let out a sigh. “Yeah, but that was a long time ago. She probably doesn’t even remember me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” She stepped around him and slipped her arms around his chest in a hug. “Well, just remember; you’ve always got at least one person on board who cares about you.”

“You care about everyone.” He told her, catching her hands. “You’re a crazy space-hippie.”

“Guilty as charged! Maybe one day, you’ll let me show you just how crazy I can be.” She giggled as she released him. With a carefree spin, she fell onto her bed and nestled against the mass of rumpled blankets and pillows. “I’m sleepy. Goodnight, Noir.”

“Goodnight, Auren.” Shaking his head, he left Auren to her nap.


	10. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and company listen in as Scarlet reveals her true goal: The lost treasures of the League of One.

Finn sighed as he lay reclined on one of the many boxes in the Merida's cargo bay.

"Bored; I forgot how dull it gets when things actually went according to plan." Mannon rumbled as he sat on the floor. "Half-joking; makes me miss the old days."

"You mean on the station or when we were running from Cerebrus?" Finn asked, staring at the ceiling.

"Nostalgic; nah, before any of that. Back on Dekuuna."

"I thought you hated Dekuuna."

"Clarifying; I was … dissatisfied with life on Dekuuna, not Dekuuna itself. Sitting in a tribe, listening to Elders tell long-winded stories ... that was boring. Life on Alkerion, on the other hand, was pure Celmaxadrine."

Finn sat up and let his feet hang over the side of the crate. "Alkerion; that's the space station in orbit around Dekuuna, right?"

"Correct. Knowledgably: it was a center of commerce, of business." To Finn's amazement, Darsan let out a sigh. "By the ancestors, I miss those days. Buying and selling stocks, investing in exciting new businesses throughout the galaxy, always knowing that I could easily lose everything. Wistful; I've never felt more alive in all my life, even when I saved you, Jake, and Mannon on Omega."

"Wow." Finn said, doing his best to sound interested; the business world had never held much interest for him, though he respected Darsan too much to say so. "Why'd you give it up?"

Darsan let out another sigh. It was surprising how human it made him seem. "Regretful; I didn't."

Finn opened his mouth to ask what Darsan meant when he heard the sound of the lift doors sliding open on the other side of the bay.

He and Darsan quickly hid as the footsteps approached their position.

"It's okay, guys; it's just me."

"Just being careful." Finn said, hopping onto his crate again. "Find anything of note?"

"Nothing we didn't already know." She told him, using a towel to wipe the pale foundation off her face. "We're heading somewhere inside the Krogan DMZ. I did get a confirmation signal from Trident; no message, but at least Liara knows what's going on now."

"Confident; indeed. Perhaps she will send assistance."

"Maybe. In any case, I'm glad that's over with." She said, walking behind a large stack of plastic barrels. "I need to get out of this thing before I burst."

Finn turned around to give her a little privacy. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel a little awkward after Mannon's earlier confession. Still, she didn't seem nervous about it, and if she was fine with it, he was fine with it as well.

"I hope the others are okay." Finn said, feeling the need to make some conversation.

"Teasing; are you missing milady, sweetie?"

Finn chuckled. "Yeah, I am, actually. I hope she's not worried."

"Why should she be worried?" Mannon asked as she tossed Scarlet's dress at Darsan, who caught it deftly and tossed it back in the wardrobe from which they had taken it. "It's not like we're stuck on a ship full of thieves who will probably shoot us out the airlock if they figure out we're down here. Oh, wait."

The lift opened again. Darsan and Finn quickly went to hide behind the stack where Mannon was still dressing. They quickly found new hiding places after she whacked the both of them with her pants. Noir and Jake appeared around the corner a few moments later.

"Uh, guys?" Noir whispered, glancing around.

"Ahem."

"Er, and lady." Noir hastily amended, holding out the Creator's Tear. "I got it!"

Finn hurried around the barrel and took the offered gem "You did? Way to go, Noir! All we need to do now is wait for pickup, bring this back to Ilium, and explain everything."

"Sarcastically; yeah, that sounds easy enough."

"Oh, come on, Darsan!" Finn said, playfully punching one of the elcor's massive forearms. "Things are looking up!"

"Yeah!" Jake hopped up on his hind legs and lifted a metal paw. "Right here, bro!"

Finn moved to high-five Jake. Unfortunately, the ship gave a massive shudder that made Finn miss; Jake's paw hit his other arm, knocking the Creator's Tear in the air. Mannon and Noir hurried forward to catch the falling gem, but ended up crashing into each other. As the gem continued downward, a flash of grey shot past One and caught the gem mere inches from the floor.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief as Darsan lifted his arm and brought the jewel in front of his unreadable face.

"Thank the Maker." Finn breathed. "For a second there, I thought-"

Darsan dropped the Creator's Tear. Finn stared as the gem fell, seemingly in slow-motion, spinning ever so slightly before it crashed to the floor and splintered into a thousand shards.

For a long moment, no one could say or do anything but stare at Darsan, who only stared back at them with his emotionless black eyes.

Jake was the first to find his voice. "The hell, man? What the hell did you do that for!"

Noir fell to his knees, trying unenthusiastically to gather the shards back together as Finn struggled to find his voice.

"Darsan!" Mannon said, anger evident on her face. "You'd better have a very good explanation."

"Matter-of-factly; it was a fake."

Silence fell over the room for a few more moments.

"A fake?" Finn asked, finally managing to speak.

"Annoyed; I spent over a decade as a jeweler. Believe me; it's nothing but glass."

Noir stared at the shattered chunks in his three-fingered hands. "But … if this is a fake …"

"…where's the real one?" Mannon finished.

They stared at each other until a loud chime indicated the ship's intercom had been activated. "Noir, Amber, and Azure, report to the observation lounge immediately."

"That was Lady Scarlet." Noir said, looking quickly between Finn and Mannon. "They know!"

"Of course they don't know." Finn told him. "Calm down, man; if they knew, they'd be down here to get all of us."

Mannon nodded in agreement. "He's right. It must be something else."

"So what should I do?" Noir asked, wringing his hands.

Finn grabbed Noir by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. "First, take a deep breath. If you try to talk to her like this, she'll know something is up."

"O-okay."

"No, seriously; take a deep breath. In!"

Noir took a deep breath.

"And out."

Noir let it out slowly.

Nodding, Finn said, "Now, go to the meeting with Jake. He'll be able to relay anything he sees to us."

"R-right." Noir took another shaking breath and let it out slowly.

"Right." Finn patted him on the shoulder. "You got this, man. Once this is over, you can help Kyra with the engines; no more field work unless you just really want it."

Nodding, Noir said, "Okay. I got this."

"Excellent. Jake?"

Jake had just managed to shimmy his way back into his makeshift faceplate. Looking up, he said, "Ready to go."

Sighing, Finn knelt down and twisted the faceplate until it was no longer upside-down. "There … and good luck, bro."

"Hey! With this disguise, I'm invisible!"

As Noir and Jake walked back to the lift, Darsan asked, "Curious; why do you suppose she's calling him up there?"

Noir was still wondering that himself as he stepped out onto the observation deck. Located near the top of the ship, the Observation Deck was really little more than a big round room with a table and some chairs. Monitors cleverly placed in the ceiling gave the illusion that they were windows, beyond which lay the cosmos fantastique.

Most of the other members of Siren's Call were already seated; Scarlet sat in her usual seat, talking casually with Violet and Auren. Auren, now wearing a pair of short denim shorts and a flannel shirt tied across the chest, was animatedly telling them some story about an old boyfriend that had them laughing. Amber sat a chair away from the group, her eyes puffy and red. Noir could only guess her talk with Azure had not gone well.

"Not that I'm complaining, but where is Azure?" Noir asked as he sat down between Violet and Amber.

Amber sniffed loudly, but didn't say anything.

Violet put her hand on Noir's arm, saying, "Best not mention her right now."

"But the meeting-"

"I will fill her in on the details later." Scarlet said, rising from her chair. "For now, we have much to discuss. You have followed me faithfully for years now, all of you. I am not exaggerating when I say you have been more a family to me than any I've had from birth. For years, you've waited patiently and helped me prepare for what is to come, and now it looks like what we've sought is within our grasp. It's time for you to know the truth."

Noir shuffled in his seat, now extremely interested; they had always known they were after a treasure, but Scarlet had been extremely tight-lipped about the whole thing. If Violet hadn't assured him that Scarlet was on the level (and if Noir hadn't already had a childhood crush on their mysterious and beautiful leader), Noir might very well have left with Kyra.

Jake sat on his hindquarters and peered over the table as the center receded, revealing a hologram generator. After a few moments, it began to project a strange symbol.

"Does anyone know what this is?" Scarlet asked, one eyebrow raised.

After nothing but silence followed the question for a few moments, she continued, "This is the symbol of an old salarian organization known as 'The League of One'. Known only to the highest members of the salarian government, the League of One was a group of salarian spies and assassins with an unprecedented level of skill and influence."

"Like Spectres, or the STG?" Auren asked, sounding a little bored.

Scarlet shook her head. "Better. These salarians carried no rank, and only the most powerful were privy to their identities. The only sign of their true identity was a single medallion given to each of the twelve members upon induction. These were the kind of agents who could single-handedly stop a war before it happened ... or start one if need be."

"I can't see the Council letting any race, even one of the big five, have a group with that much power." Violet said thoughtfully.

"Indeed." Scarlet told her. "When the salarians joined the Council, as a measure of goodwill, they gave the Council access to all of their top secret information, including the identities of the League of One. Over the years, the League had accrued some pretty nasty enemies among over a dozen different races, and as you might expect, their identities slipped out fairly quickly."

"Bet they loved that." Noir commented.

Scarlet nodded. "The upper cabinet of the Salarian government was assassinated shortly after the exposure of the League. No one questioned who was responsible. They sent their best out to bring in the rogue group, but only two of the hunters returned, with no evidence of the League. Occasionally, a medallion was found, but no one ever confirmed whether or not the League was eliminated. No one had any proof that they even still existed ... until I found this on an archeological dig in the Silean Expanse."

She carefully set a small medallion on the table. Moments later, a salarian appeared on the projector. He wore a fine suit and carried a walking stick with a crystal orb on the grip. He was uninjured, though it was clear he was very old.

After a short spasm of coughing, he said, "I awoke this morning coughing up blood. I didn't want to admit it, but I'm afraid my end is nearer than I anticipated. I'm not sure who I'm making this message for; most of the others are dead, and any still alive are no doubt facing the same fate as me at this point. Still, I suppose with mortality comes the desire to be remembered. As such, my name is Geral Mkrobi, scientist, surgeon, and unbeknownst to all but a select few, Leader of the League of One."

He lifted a hand, showing a medallion with the League's symbol on the front. Coughing again, he continued, "We were once the hidden hand of the salarian government, Sur'Kesh's greatest agents, and symbol of the strength of the salarian people until we were betrayed by our own government. When they unveiled us to the galaxy, we decided to set up a bit of a retirement ... after getting our severance from our former leaders, of course. It was easy, really; with all our contacts, all the information we had acquired over the years, we went on a burglary spree across the galaxy; cultural artifacts, prototype technology, Prothean technology, and more credits than the annual turian military budget ... everything we could get a hold of, we gathered here, in our base."

"The plan was simple; we would wait in our sanctuary until the danger had passed, then spend the rest of our lives living as we pleased. After five years, we all set out on our own path, all save myself; I remained here to guard the sanctuary. Every three years, the others would return on the same day to replenish their funds."

A small smile graced the old salarian's face. "We took to calling it Miiraka. That's old salarian; it doesn't translate well these days, but it basically means 'the feeling when walking home from a hard day's work'. I've spent most of my life alone; never really cared much for people. Still, I have to admit, I looked forward to Miiraka; it was good to see everyone again, and to hear of all their stories. Toben got back into Archeology; he was always talking about some ruin he had found, or showing off some rare artifact he had discovered. Haaris took a job cleaning the mirror pools on Sur'Kesh; used to tickle him that he could work so close to the capital without the politicians suspecting the truth. Grym ended up joining the Eternians; I still listen to the recordings sometimes when I think about the past."

His smile faded as he continued, "Kaalinor was the first to go; an accident in one of the high gravity races he loved so much. We were saddened by his loss, but thought nothing of it at the time. Then, almost a year to the day, Grym was found dead in the pool of the hotel he and the band were staying at. Medical analysis showed it to be an overdose of Blue Rose. It wasn't until Haaris died, again, almost a year to the day, that we began to suspect we were being targeted.

When we met at the next Miiraka, we contemplated the identity of our attackers; some thought it an overzealous asari Justicar, others thought it might be some turian general we had worked against in the past, still others thought that it might be some treasure hunter out to find our fabled loot. Yanis thought it might be some Spectre out to make a name for him, her, or itself. In truth, we had nothing but speculation to go on. Nevertheless, we decided that if we were to die, we would make sure our elusive foe would not get his hands on our legacy. To that end, we decided to leave our medallions on different, under-developed worlds using the utmost secrecy. You see, the medallions are more than simple medals; they each contain part of a heavily encrypted code that pinpoints the location of this sanctuary. If you are seeing this, then you no doubt recovered the Eye of Giraal from the Midoccans. In finding this message, you've proven yourself to be resourceful and perceptive, two traits valued by the League of One. Continue in that, and you will no doubt find the location of our legacy. You may claim it as yours, to sell or keep as you desire, as I'm certain I will no longer be in any condition to care; whatever choice you make, I only ask this in return."

He coughed again and straightened up as much as he could. There was both pride and humility in his voice as he said, "Whether you view us as heroes, villains, or scoundrels, the shape of the galaxy would no doubt be much different had we never existed. Please ... remember us."


	11. Command Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scarlet informs the crew of the opposition, and makes Noir's day just a bit more difficult.

As the hologram faded, Lady Scarlet murmured, "May you walk in eternal light." Noir bowed his head as well, out of respect for the long-dead salarian.

Looking back at her crew, Scarlet said, "Any questions?"

Silence followed for a few moments before Auren asked, "So this treasure ... pretty big haul right?"

"I'd imagine so." Scarlet told her. "You heard what he said; artifacts, prototypes, credits ... more than enough to make us rich for the rest of our lives, as long as we get to it first."

A smirk on her face, Violet commented, "All the fancy dresses and sparkling shoes you could possibly want."

Auren gave Violet a dazzling smile. "And all the drinks I could possibly want. Sounds good to me."

"Can we really find it?" Amber asked, a little less sad-looking now. "I mean, we know Goto's after it."

"Not just them." Scarlet said as she sat back down. "Are any of you familiar with the Saints?"

"The Saints?" Noir repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You don't mean the Third Street Saints, do you?"

Scarlet nodded. "The very same. They've risen in popularity in the past few years, ever since they overthrew the Tongla Syndicate on Eden Prime. Now, they're considered one of the bigger criminal organizations in operation. From my own research, they have two medallions as well."

"Criminal organization?" Amber asked, sounding surprised. "I thought you said ..."

"They took out the Syndicate to take over themselves." Noir explained.

"Mind you, it's still worlds better than the Syndicate." Violet said, sounding thoughtful. "Word is, they're fair and even look out for the little people. Bad place to be a business person, but a good place to be otherwise."

"Be that as it may, they are but one group who may pose a problem." Scarlet placed her hand on the table. Moments later, the projector produced a harsh-looking red symbol.

Violet let out a low whistle. "That's the symbol of the Blood Pack. They're after the treasure too?"

"Not yet." Scarlet admitted, "But I've no doubt they'll be getting involved once we reach Tuchanka."

Everyone looked up at her immediately. Amber rose to her feet, her voice sqeaking in fear as she said, "Tuchanka?! Are you crazy? That's where the krogans live!"

"You can't be serious, Scarlet." This came from Violet, who for the first time in Noir's life, actually seemed shocked.

Scarlet raised her hands for silence, but there seemed little chance of that; Violet began to expound the dangers while Amber started talking about how big and strong and oh-so-scary the krogans were, and what they'd do if they caught Siren's Call. Never one to be very helpful, Auren actually started laughing as though at some massive unseen joke.

Noir watched as Scarlet tried with increasing frustration to calm the situation. Seeing them ignore her like that bothered him. It bothered him a lot.

"Would you all just shut up?" He shouted loudly enough to be heard over the din. Now everyone was looking at him with shocked expressions. Gesturing to Scarlet, he said, "At least let her finish explaining before you freak out. I mean, she's got us this far, hasn't she?"

Auren gave him a look of gratitude, while Amber and Violet blushed in embarressment. Her cheeks dark, Lady Scarlet let out a polite cough and nodded at Noir. "Thank you. As I was going to say, my analysis of the medallions hidden in the artifacts we've been picking up has allowed me to narrow the location of the League's Sanctuary to somewhere on Tuchanka."

"I trust we have more to go on than that." Violet said, having recomposed herself. "Tuchanka's a big planet."

"Filled with krogan." Amber added.

"Each medallion makes it that much easier to pinpoint the exact location; they're old, and my decryption program still doesn't have enough information to decode the security protocol the League put on them. Still, I believe we are getting close; we just need one, maybe two more to finally break the code. Fortunately, there is one on Tuchanka."

The hologram changed again, this time showing an image of a dark red gemstone.

"Is that to scale?" Noir asked Scarlet, who nodded. "By the ancestors, it's bigger than the Creator's Tear!"

A small smile graced Scarlet's lips. "It is called 'The Blood of the Krogan'. It was recovered a few years back from ruins predating the Krogan rebellions."

Sensing that the other shoe was about to drop, so to speak, Noir asked, "Where is it now?"

Scarlet's smile faltered. As she pressed her hand against the table, the image of the gemstone shrunk again. Details appeared around it, encasing it in a krogan headpiece worn by a particularly grizzled-looking krogan with red head-plating and a scar across his face.

Jake whined and hid under the table as Scarlet said, "This is Urdnot Wrex, Primarch of the Krogan."

"The Primarch." Auren repeated, her eyes wide as she laughed again at the absurdity of the situation. "Of course it's the Primarch; who else would it be?"

"Let me get this straight;" Violet said, her eyes down as she slowly stood up and laid her hands on the flat surface of the table, "We have to go to Tuchanka and steal the jewel in the Primarch's headpiece to uncover the location of the Sanctuary of the League of One."

Scarlet nodded. It looked as though she wanted to say something, but after nothing came out of her mouth for a few moments, she simply closed it and slowly sat down.

Violet glanced at the other members of Siren's Call before finally nodding. "Okay. I'm in."

Scarlet looked up, surprised. "You ... really?"

"Me too." Auren said, laughter in her eyes. "If you're gonna fail, fail big; that's what mom always told me."

Amber still looked uncertain, but she eventually nodded. "I trust you, Scarlet. Just ... are you sure there isn't another way?"

"There might be more medallions out there." Scarlet conceded. "But I wouldn't know where to start looking for them; I was lucky to find the first message pointing out the medallion hidden in the Breath of the Forest on Neukaara, but it took me years to find out about the two. We are almost there, I am sure of it. If we wait too long, we might lose it to someone else."

"Someone else has medallions?" Noir asked.

"I've confirmed that the Saints have found two. From Mkrobi's story, it's fair to assume whoever was hunting the League back in the day has at least three, assuming they're still around."

"That's nine, ten counting Wrex's headpiece." Violet commented. "So just two more left floating around out there."

"There's no guarantee that those two have remained hidden." Scarlet sighed and said, "Or the possibility that they might have already found it."

Noir snorted. "I doubt it; the Saints aren't much for subtlety; if they found the haul, the entire galaxy would still be recovering from the epic scale party they'd throw. As for whoever was hunting them, maybe they didn't manage to recover all the medallions; I'd imagine the League would have destroyed them before letting them be taken, if possible. If they had already found the place, wouldn't the relics have shown up by now?"

"Fair point." Violet conceded. "Even if they were sold to some rich ponce, word would have leaked out eventually."

"I agree." Scarlet said, standing again. "We can do this, I'm sure of it. We've come this far. Trust me just a little longer, and we'll be set for life ... all of us."

Auren rose from her chair, stifling a yawn. "Well, like we said, sweetie; we're with you. Just let us know what we need to do."

"I'll get to work on a plan right away." Violet added, already heading for the door.

Amber stood up. For a moment, she looked as though she wanted to say something, but she just nodded at Scarlet and headed for the lift with the others.

As Noir started to join the others in the lift, Scarlet called out, "A moment, Noir, if you would."

"O-of course." Noir narrowed his eyes at Violet as she gave him one final smirk before the lift doors closed, leaving Noir and Scarlet alone.

After a few moments that seemed to stretch forever, Scarlet said, "Thank you."

Surprised, Noir asked, "For what?"

"For stepping in earlier. I knew our destination would cause some arguments, but I didn't realize just how opposed Amber and Violet would be to the idea."

Noir rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks growing warm. "Well, no problem. I mean, you got us this far; if you think we can do this, then we can do this."

"Thank you. Your support means a lot to me." She hesitated a moment before saying, "I know this hasn't been easy for you."

"On me?" Noir shook his head. "I've just had to fix the ship and set the stage; you're the ones who do the singing and dancing ... and pull off the heists."

"And we wouldn't have done nearly as well if it wasn't for your technical expertise. It's more than that, though."

"I ... oh." Noir could feel his blush burning over his whole face.

"Violet and Azure both told me how close you and Viridia were. I must admit, I was surprised when you didn't leave with her."

Noir let out a nervous chuckle. "What can I say? Staying here seemed the better option."

Another tense silence passed between them. Coughing, Noir said, "Well, if that's all, I-"

"I'm sorry."

Noir felt his heart drop. Trying to sound normal, he said, "It's okay; you don't have to say anything."

"No, I do. You've stood by me loyally from the first day you were on board. You've given your best to Siren's Call, and to me, and I just ... I want you to know that." Now Scarlet's cheeks were dark. Sighing, she said, "Amber just confessed to Azure. That's why she wasn't at the meeting."

"Really?" Noir replied, feigning surprise. "Well, it was only a matter of time, I guess. From the look of her, Azure didn't respond well."

"I don't know. She's holed up in her room right now, and Amber refuses to talk about it." Scarlet started fidgeting with her hands. "It's just ... I don't ... I don't want it to be like that. You're not just my partner in this; you're my friend."

Seeing her so bothered on his account was painful for Noir. "It's okay." He assured her. "I understand."

"No you don't." She said, giving him a kind smile. "You're just saying that so I don't feel bad."

He looked at her, startled for a moment before letting out an embarrassed laugh. "Maybe I am. I'm the only brother of five sisters; they brought so much drama into the house that I felt bad making even a little complaint."

"I'll bet." Scarlet said, smiling a little wider. "I can only imagine what it was like growing up with them."

"It wasn't always so bad." He told her. "Viridia ... Kyra and I looked out for each other. I guess it's normal for twins."

After another moment of silence, Noir coughed and said, "Well, I'd better get back to the engines, in case we-"

"I'm not really engaged." She said quietly, her eyes latching on to his like energy grapples.

Noir's mind came to a screeching halt; whatever he had been about to say vanished from his mind, leaving him in stunned silence with his mouth still open.

"It was a way to ward off suitors … at least, I keep telling myself that." She rose from her chair and approached Noir. What little speech he had left died as she stood in front of him.

"Noir, you're kind and caring, and when people talk, you actually listen. You've always been there since we were kids, even when things weren't going so great for you. I think ... I'd like us to become closer."

Her cheeks went a shade darker. "But this isn't the time for that kind of thing. It could complicate our mission."

"Ah." Noir said. To be fair, 'ah' was probably the only thing he was capable of saying at the moment.

His heart leapt as she brushed a hand against his cheek tentatively.

"Give me a little more time." She said, her voice almost pleading. "Please. Then, once we've secured the League's treasure ... maybe ..."

Unable to voice a reply, he put his hand against hers on his cheek. Her sweet, small smile returned as she whispered, "It's been a long time since Mustrum Valley, hasn't it?"

"I haven't forgotten my promise." He said, his voice almost startling him.

"I know." She smiled at him for a moment longer before slipping her hand from his and stepping back.

Taking it as his cue to be on his way, Noir bowed his head respectfully and said, "I'll just ... uh, go work on the engines."

"Very good."

Noir patted his leg. "C'mon, Rolph."

When Jake didn't respond, Noir sighed and tapped the K-9 Unit on its head. "That's you."

"Hmm? Ah, woof!" Jake leapt to his feat and pranced over to the lift. As Noir stepped inside, he saw Scarlet still looking at him. Blushing, he gave her a little wave as the doors slid shut.

With a sigh, he fell back against the side of the lift. "By the ancestors." He murmured. "Could this get any worse?"

Jake looked at Noir, his head cocked to the side in askance. "I don't get it; I thought you liked her."

"Yes, but I'm supposed to be going with you guys!" He let his head fall into his hands. "I feel horrible. If only she had said something sooner!"

"To be fair, if she had, you'd probably still be tied up down in the cargo bay."

Noir looked at Jake for a moment before letting out a small laugh. "You're probably right. What am I going to do?"

Jake sat down beside Noir. "Look, I know this is none of my business, but me and Finn have this deal; I give him advice on things he has difficulty dealing with, whether he wants it or not, and he reserves the right to tell me to get lost. You mind?"

"Huh? Oh, sure. Go ahead."

"Right. If you want to stay and start a relationship with Scarlet, then do it. Believe me, man, Finn will understand. I'm guessing there's a bit more history there than you let on before, and you'd have to be some kinda idiot to say that her feelings don't change things."

"But how can I work with Finn and the others if they don't know if they can trust me? If they know I might end up staying with Siren's Call?"

Jake shifted uncomfortably. "Well, for the moment anyway, they don't know. I may have accidentally shut down my communication link with Finn during your and Scarlet's little talk."

Noir stared at Jake with unabashed amazement. "You did that for me?"

"It seemed kinda rude to eavesdrop. Besides ..." He batted Noir's leg with his metal paw. "I always got my friends' backs."

Noir smiled gratefully at Noir. "I see why you and Finn are such good friends."

"Yeah, we're practically brothers, which is why I'm gonna ask you this; if you do stay with Siren's Call, please don't betray Finn and the others. Even if you aren't going with us, we were willing to let you join us on our mission against Cerberus, and that's gotta count for something. We gotta deal?"

Noir smiled as he shook the robot dog's paw. "Deal."


	12. A Glorious Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scarlet and her band of rogues discover that Plan A never works.

Finn was lying on his back, working diligently beneath the storage bay's control console when Noir and Jake returned.   He glanced up at them. "Hey, guys.  How'd it go?"

"We're apparently off to recover the lost treasure of the League of One." Noir said as Jake ran over to Finn.  "We don't know exactly where it is yet, though."

"Did they check under the doormat?"

"Did they ..." Noir's eyes narrowed. "Hardy har har."

"I try." Finn replied, grinning.  He started to return his attention to the console components when something heavy landed on his stomach.

"Oof!  Jake!  What's the deal?"

Jake peered at the underside of the console from his seat on Finn's stomach.  "Whatcha working on?”

"Well, I was trying to patch this console into some of the bridge controls. The Shadow Broker's going to be sending backup at some point, and I'd like to be able to coordinate with them when they arrive.  Y'know, come up with some plan to capture the ship without hurting anyone."

"Neat!  What's stopping you?"

"Someone decided my stomach was a pillow."

"Really?  Who?"

Finn glared at Jake wordlessly for a few moments before returning his gaze to the underbelly of the console.

Noir approached, only his feet visible to Finn.  "Do we really need to capture the rest of Siren's Call?  I mean, if the Shadow Broker sends another ship, couldn't we just leave with them?"

"Well, we could, but I'm pretty sure half the damn galaxy thinks I stole the Creator's Tear.  I’ve got enough notoriety without adding ‘jewel thief’ to the list, and I might need to go back to Ilium at some point. In the very least, we need the jewel.”

Mannon sat up and swung her legs over the side of the crate on which she now sat.  "I've been thinking about that.  If the Creator's Tear was a fake, and it is part of the map to this treasure, doesn't that mean we are probably headed the wrong way?"

"Darkly; Doubtful.  It wasn't a very good fake; if I figured it out, and Lady Scarlet's been analyzing the medallions she found in the other stones, she would've spotted a fake right away."

"We all saw it shatter when you dropped it." Finn said.

"Ominously; we saw the fake Creator's Tear shatter."   Turning his eyes on Noir, Darsan continued, "Suspicious; which means someone on board created a fake."

Finn saw Noir's feet shuffle backwards a few steps.  "Whoa!  I wouldn't even begin to know how to do something like that!"

"Evenly; I didn't imply you made it; I implied that you brought it to us.  We would've brought it back to Ilium, and would have certainly been caught."

"I would never-"

"Hey!" Mannon's feet joined the others, quickly stepping between Noir and Darsan.  "Easy there, fellas!  Let's not start throwing around random accusations."

"Accusingly; then who is responsible for the fake?"

The entire ship shuddered as the ship came out of FTL.  Finn steadied himself against the console.  "Damn.  I thought we'd have a little more time before we reached the border. Noir, give me a hand with this, would you?"

"Sure thing."  Noir lay down beside Finn.

  While the days of the flotilla had long since passed, quarians still had a reputation for being good with technology; the Flotsam Academy on Rannoch was one of the leading engineering schools in the entire galaxy, and Noir was one of the few to make it through their Master's program.  Still, what Finn lacked in proper training, he more than made up for in experience; working together, they managed to establish a connection to the bridge systems.

"It's on, guys!" Mannon called out. 

Finn pulled himself out from under the console and said, "Good.  See if you can access the sensors."

"I'll see if I can't get us fully patched in." Noir told Finn as he stood up.  "We should be able to access everything now, though."

"Coolness."  After dusting off his pants for a moment, Finn turned to Mannon, asking, "How's it look out there?"

"There's a lot of debris; mined out asteroids, derelict spaceships, that kinda thing."  She raised an eyebrow.  "I'm not detecting any ... no, wait, one ship just appeared on sensors."

"That would be the border patrol.  See if you can bring up an external camera; I'd like to see what we're dealing with."

"Check."  After poking at the controls for a few moments, she managed to bring up an image of the ship now approaching.

Darsan peered over Finn's shoulder.  "Ominously; a krogan warship, no doubt."

Mannon shook her head.  "Nah; it's just a scout ship."

"Incredulous; that's a scout ship?  Maker's breath, I'd hate to see what they send to fight."

Darsan's confusion wasn't surprising; the krogan scout vessel was larger than an Alliance frigate.  While it wasn't pretty (krogans typically stuck with a 'box with features' style of construction), there was no doubt that it was heavily armored, and likely equally as heavily armed.

As it bore down on the Meridia, Mannon started tapping at the controls again.

"What are you doing?" Finn asked.

"I hid a few audio bugs on the bridge while I was up there; I figured it hearing what the bridge crew was saying could come in handy."

"Good thinking." Finn said.  In truth, he was a little surprised; Mannon was really buying into the whole 'agent of the Shadow Broker' thing.  Then again, after deserting the Alliance, he supposed there wasn't much holding her back.

There was a crackle as the audio feeds came online.  "-approaching, Lady Scarlett."

"Understood.  Azure?" 

"It's ready if we need it."

"Excellent.  Amber, open up a communication channel."

There was a brief chime.

"I am Ambassador Jera Thanson vas Greegar of Rannoch; we have come here in hopes of renewing relations between our peoples."

There were a few moments of silence before a gruff voice replied, "Krogan space is off-limits to outsiders.  Turn back, or I'll blast you into dust."

"Wow.  That's friendly."

"Violet." Scarlet whispered chastisingly.  Clearing her throat, she said, "Our peoples once enjoyed a healthy trade agreement beneficial to both of us.  If you could let your superiors know that-"

Mannon glanced down in alarm as her console beeped.  She barely had time to open her mouth before something impacted the Meridia's kinetic barriers hard enough to knock everyone without the presence of mind to grab something (or at two extra legs) off of their feet.  Finn was not among those people.

Pulling himself out of the remains of one of Auren's wardrobes, he commented dazedly.  "Cheap wood, that.  Carpentry's a lost art."

"What is the meaning of this?" Lady Scarlet's voice demanded from the audio link.  "We came in peace."

"We don't want what you're selling, quarian.  We’re under orders from the Primarch himself to guard the border, and that's exactly what we're gonna do. Get out of here, or the next one won't be a warning shot."

There was an audible crack in the audio when the krogan cut the comm channel.

"Wow." Jake said in the ensuing silence.  "Not much for negotiating, is he?"

Finn couldn't help but agree with Jake's sentiment.  In terms of lies, Scarlet's attempt had been quite convincing to him.  He wondered how many legitimate ambassadors had met a similar or worse fate.  Still, he was pretty sure that Lady Scarlet wasn't just going to leave it at that.

Sure enough, Lady Scarlet said, "As I understand it, your people are extremely interested in securing large stockpiles of Element Zero, correct?"

There was a long pause.  "You're carrying Eezo, huh?"

"That is correct.  We have a sample recovered from a world recently annexed by the quarian people.  There should be far more than we need, so it could be brought to the table, so to speak."

There was another long pause.  "I'll need to clear this with Tuchanka; stay there and don't move."

As the communication channel closed, Scarlet breathed a sigh of relief.  "Well, that worked."

"Good thing we actually have some extra eezo." Azure sighed.  "You know this isn't going to work for long."

"We don't need it to work for long." Scarlet replied.  "Just long enough."

Mannon murmured, "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh?" Finn asked, "What uh-oh?"

She pointed to the sensor screen. "Look at the debris."

Finn looked at the various flotsam that made up the krogan border.  After a few moments, he shook his head, saying, "I don't see anything."

"Look closer."

Squinting at the screen, Finn couldn't tell what Mannon was on about.  It was just various space junk; there was a lot near them, but it was just junk.

Finn froze when he finally saw it.  There was a large amount of junk around them, at least twice as much as the regular composition of the rest of the border, according to the Meridia's sensors.  Many of the larger pieces were quite notably moving towards them; while there were no energy readings from them, it was clear they were not moving with the rest of the space junk.

"Uh-oh." said Darsan, apparently coming to the same realization.

Finn thought for a few long moments before sighing, and reaching for the inter-ship communication controls.

Noir caught his hand mere inches from the console. "Are you crazy?  You're going to let the rest of the ship know you're here?"

"As opposed to just letting the krogans capture us or blow us up?"  Finn shook off Noir's grip and activated the controls.  "Check your sensors!  We've got more scout ships incoming!"

"Who is this?" Scarlet asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Worry about that later.  Worry about the krogan ships hiding in the debris now!"

"Violet?" Scarlet asked, sounding unsure.

There was a brief pause.  "He's right; at least ten ships all around us!"

"What?" Azure said, sounding rightly surprised.  "How did they sneak up on us so fast?"

"Energy as low as they could put it and controlled thrusters, I'd imagine.  Look, turn the Meridia-"

The ships flared to life around them, their energy signatures lighting up the sensor screen like lights on a Christmas tree.

"Oh shit.” Finn said, “Go!  Just pick a direction and get outta here!"

The ship shot into motion instantly.  Fortunately, Finn had the presence of mind to be holding on to the console this time.

The Meridia was originally a merchant ship.  Given the somewhat perilous nature of space travel, particularly through the pirate-infested Terminous Systems, the original owner had taken great care to make the Asari transport vessel pack a surprisingly powerful engine and the shielding to both use it properly and avoid having its tail end blasted off.  How he lost possession of his ship is a story for another day (involving a salarian prostitute, three cases of Ryncol, and a VI with a bit of an attitude), but needless to say, when the ship suddenly kicked into high-gear, it was almost like it spontaneously disappeared on the krogan scanners.  Almost.

"We've got a bit of breathing room." Amber's voice said from the console.  "They're chasing us, though."

Finn heard Scarlet sigh.  "So much for the peaceful approach.  Azure?"

"Just give the word."

"Not unless we just have to; the last thing we need is for Tuchanka to go to war with Rannoch.  Are you still listening, mysterious stranger?"

"Yeah, I'm still here."

"Well, you've been resourceful enough to sneak aboard my ship and hack into my systems.  Any suggestions on how we could escape without violence?"

Finn ran a hand through his hair. It was messy.  "The Meridia's more maneuverable than those krogan clunkers; you might be able to lose them in the debris field."

"You heard him, Amber."

"But we don't even know who-"

"I think it's fair to say he's just as eager as we are to stay in the world of the living.  We'll worry about the rest once we're safe; for now, head into the debris field."

The Merida flew through the floating junk with just as much grace and skill as her pilot showed on the stage, flipping, twisting, and spinning past debris.  The krogan pilots weren't quite as skilled.  They did, however, make up for their lack of grace with an abundance of weaponry and armor.

Nevertheless, in a matter of five minutes, there were only four ships chasing them.

"Glum; more incoming no doubt."

"But not here yet." Jake said, wagging his tail end.

Finn nodded in silent appreciation of Amber's piloting skills.  "Then we'll have to make a point not to be here.  Amber, you up for something a little reckless?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"Alan Smithee."

Finn could almost hear Violet smirk as she said, "Cute."

Grinning, Finn said, "Turn around and shoot straight through the remaining ships."

"What?!  That's crazy!"

"I know.  That's why they aren't expecting it."

"Do it." Scarlet told her.  "Be ready with the Shalsom-et."

"Right."  Azure replied as Finn's brow furrowed.

Almost in answer to his unasked question, Scarlet said, "It's a surprise, Mister Smithee."

Finn nearly lost his grasp on the console as the ship pulled up sharply and rocketed towards the krogan scouting vessels.  They opened fire, but it was far too late; the Meridia was already past them. Two of the vessels made the fatal mistake of focusing on the quickly departing Merida and not on the debris, resulting in two less vessels to follow the Meridia.  With two ships in pursuit, the Meridia pressed onward through the rapidly thinning debris.

“I think we can risk a sub-light jump.  Amber?” Scarlet asked. 

“Almost there!”

Finn’s console beeped.  He glanced at the scanners, and was startled to see two energy signatures rapidly chase after the krogan vessels until impacting, after which both vanished. 

Finn raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, the Meridia shot into sub-light speed.

“Violet?” Scarlet’s voice asked.

“No sign of pursuit.  Looks like we’re in the clear.”  The relief in Scarlet’s voice was almost palpable.  “Now, as we’ve got about fifteen minutes before we reach Tuchanka, I think now would be a good time as any to go and have a word with our new friend, Mister Smithee.”

Noir looked panicked.  Thinking fast, Finn put his hand over Noir’s mouth and said, “Hope to see you soon; there’s nothing like a good conversation, is there?  Jake?”

With a loud crackle, the terminal died.  Jake trotted out from under the console a moment later, a satisfied look on his display.

“What are we gonna do?” Noir asked, desperation in his voice.  “She’s gonna come down here and find-”

Noir’s body stiffened as electricity leapt onto him from Jake’s display.  Noir’s eyes showed a look of shock and betrayal as his body fell to the ground, prone.

Jake had the good grace to look ashamed of himself.  “Sorry, Noir.”

As Finn dragged Noir over to one of the barrels that was still upright, Mannon asked, “What are you doing?  I thought he-”

“I’m tying up the engineer who caught us in the cargo bay.” Finn explained.  “After he came back from the meeting, he spotted us messing around with the console and tried to stop us because he’s very loyal to Siren’s Call.  Isn’t that right, Noir?”

Noir couldn’t respond, of course, but Finn liked to think he could see a bit of understanding in the quarian’s wide eyes.  Patting Noir on the shoulder, Finn said, “You’re welcome.  Now, I think it’d be a good idea for the rest of you to find somewhere to hide.”

“Confused; what?”

“I’m the only one who spoke to her.” Finn said.  “I’m all for a peaceful resolution, but let’s have you guys around as a plan B, just in case.”

As the other former residents of J-27 scattered, Finn glanced around at the scattered crates and containers for a good place to wait.


	13. The Hard Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn assists Siren's Call as they run into a bigger problem.

The lift doors opened to reveal Scarlet, Azure, and Violet, all bearing their firearm of choice. Sharing a quick nod, the three began to walk through the mess that was the cargo bay very slowly. They were quite thorough, always careful to check the corners and open any suspect container they happened upon.

About five minutes passed before Scarlet spotted Noir, still tied to a barrel. His head hung still hung limply forward, giving the impression he was either uncomfortably asleep or even more uncomfortably dead.

"Noir!" Scarlet took a step forward, only for Violet to catch her by the arm, shaking her head very slightly.

“Bro?” Violet asked, moving cautiously toward the restrained quarian. She pushed back his head and stared into his open eyes. “He’s okay; just stunned.”

"Careful!" Azure warned as Scarlet let out a small sigh. "This could be a trap."

"Bang."

Scarlet froze. Violet and Azure spun about, weapons at the ready as Finn clapped theatrically. Hopping off his crate, he said, "Don't worry; he's fine. I just stunned him, that's all."

There was an audible click, followed by the appearance of three little slightly jittery red dots on Finn's chest. With a sigh, Finn raised his hands and said, "I'm unarmed."

“Your pistol?" asked Violet.

"My carnifex?  Still on Ilium.  Cops typically don’t let prisoners keep their weapons, you know.”

"I see." Scarlet said as Violet knelt behind her little brother and cut his bindings. "And to whom do we owe our thanks for warning us of the krogan's deceit?"

"He's Finn Cresste." Azure replied, eyes narrowing. "Kyra's boyfriend. I'm guessing she gave you access codes to the ship."

"Only because I was in trouble." Finn lied; all the better for everyone concerned if they didn't connect Finn and his team to Noir. "Wasn't my first choice, but you did leave me holding the bag."

"Oh? And how do we know you're not working with Goto or the Saints?" Azure asked, her shotgun the only one still pointed at Finn.

 _Ah. Good point._ Aloud, he said, "Oh, I dunno; I got caught with the Tear in my pocket, got tossed in a cell. Even my plans work out better than that." After a momentary pause, he added, "Usually."

"We would have returned the tear eventually." Scarlet told him.

"Yes, and I'd hypothetically still be stuck in a cell. You do know I'm trying to stop Cerberus from unleashing Reapers … _Reapers_ on the rest of the galaxy, right?"

This brought a moment of silence. Eventually, Scarlet said, "I may have heard something along those lines."

"Kinda hard to give it to the Illusive man while I'm behind bars or being chased by bounty hunters."

"More bounty hunters." Violet added, a ghost of a smile on her face.

Finn glared at her. "Thanks for that. Yeah, I've already got more than my fair share of trouble."

"So what would you have us do?" Scarlet asked, hands on her hips. "We've been working on this for years, Mister Cresste. To turn back now that we are so close only for us to end up in prison would render everything we've done useless."

"Maybe … he could help us."

Finn had to repress a wince; he knew Noir was trying to help, but Finn was really hoping one of the members of Siren's Call with whom he wasn't affiliated would have suggested cooperation first. Sure enough, he noticed Violet giving her younger brother a curious glance.

Scarlet, on the other hand, asked, "And you'd expect a share of the treasure, no doubt."

"Not really, no." Finn confessed. "The Shadow Broker keeps us pretty well funded, to be honest."

That brought a considerably longer stretch of silence.

"So it's true." Scarlet said, recomposing herself. "You are working with the Shadow Broker."

"Well, the Council certainly won’t help, and I certainly don't have the kind of scratch to fight Cerberus on my own. I'm a repairman, for god's sake."

Violet wasn't quite able to repress the snort of laughter Finn's comment brought. Even Azure seemed to relax a little; at least, her shotgun was only pointed at his legs.

Scarlet looked thoughtful. "So if we locate the treasure and give you the Creator's Tear, you'd let us go?"

Finn opened his mouth to reply when the ship shuddered.

"FTL drive is down." Finn said, the all-too familiar prickle of fear spreading through him.

Azure frowned. "We couldn't have reached Tuchanka yet."

"Agreed." Scarlet put a hand to the side of her head, a gesture Finn recognized all too well. "Amber, what's going on?"

"I don't know!" Amber replied over the intercom. "I can't get the engines to activate!"

"FTL Dampening field." Finn said. "That can't be good."

Amber continued, "I'm detecting five … six … eight ships converging on our-"

Her sudden pause made the room go cold. "What is it?" Scarlet asked, not a trace of nervousness in her voice.

"Kee'lah." Amber whispered, "That's impossible!"

"We need to get to the bridge." Turning to Finn, Scarlet said, "We'll have to continue this discussion later. Tell me, are you as good a pilot as they say?"

"Better." Finn told her.

Nodding, Scarlet said, "Then if you would, please accompany us to the bridge. Noir, see if you can get the sub-light engines online."

"Got it." He said, still looking a bit shaken from being stunned.

Amber was more than a little surprised when Finn stepped off the lift along with her sisters.

"Who the …" She was interrupted by another shudder that ran through the ship.

Azure made her way to her station. After a few taps on her consoles, she said, "Six scout ships, four krant-class gunships, and …" She stared at the console a moment before adding, "This."

The viewscreen activated, showing exactly what ‘This’ was. The gigantic vessel easily dwarfed the rest of the krogan ships on screen. Apparently someone had teased some krogan ship-builder about the whole 'brick with wings' design; the ship had been shaped and sculpted to look just like a thresher maw. At least, Finn hoped it had been shaped; the last thing his subconscious needed was the idea of the krogan flying thresher maws into space.

"So that's a krogan dreadnaught." Finn breathed.

"We are so dead." Amber whispered in horror.

"Amber." Scarlet said, her voice stern as she took her chair at the command station. "Can we move at all?"

Amber didn't respond until Scarlet repeated her question. "R-right. Sorry; uh, just emergency systems and sub-light."

"Thank you. Finn, if you would be so kind?"

"You got it." Finn walked over to Amber and asked, "You mind if I take over?"

Amber's eyes went wide. "Take over?"

"Just the helm." Finn told her, flashing her his brightest smile. "Please?"

Amber looked to Scarlet, who nodded. Reluctance clear on her face, Amber rose from the helm chair so Finn could have a seat.

"Right." He muttered as he scanned the controls. "Let's see what we have here."

"Hang on!" Violet said, "They're hailing us."

Finn paused. He didn't have much experience with krogans outside the stray mercenary who stopped by J-27 long enough to gas up and comment on what a junk heap the station was. Still, he couldn't imagine they had anything to say that the crew of the Meridia cared to hear.

“Interesting.” Scarlet glanced back at Azure. “Is our little surprise still ready?”

"Yes ma’am. Don't know if it'll work against a dreadnaught, though."

Finn raised an eyebrow at Scarlet, who only shook her head. "We all have our secrets, Mister Cresste. Onscreen, Violet."

The viewscreen flashed on, showing the biggest krogan Finn had ever seen. With all the armor and weaponry strapped to him, this krogan looked like he could go toe-to-toe with Darsan and his heavy combat suit.

"You have infiltrated krogan airspace; surrender immediately or be destroyed."

Scarlet rose to her feet. "I demand to speak with Primarch Wrex."

What could only be described as a smirk crossed the krogan's face. "Your information is antiquated. Urdnot Wrex is no longer the Primarch."

It was clear from the look on Scarlet's face that this was an unexpected turn of events. Even Finn was a little stunned; from what little he knew, Urdnot Wrex had been the leader of the krogan people since before the Reaper War.

"When did this happen?" Scarlet said. To her credit, her voice barely wavered.

"When the rightful Primarch exiled him from our airspace."

"Exile?" Scarlet said, raising an eyebrow. "Since when to krogan exile people?"

Finn knew he should've stayed quiet; he had enough to do getting the engines ready for what he was about to attempt. Still, even he flinched as he said, "Easier to exile him while he's gone than to kill him while he's not, right?"

Amber smacked him in the arm, reminding him strongly of Kyra. Still, the ugly look on the krogan's face made it clear Finn had hit the proverbial nail right on the head.

"We do not fear the outcast!" The krogan snarled.

"You closed the entire border!" Finn replied, ignoring Amber's continued smacks. "The entire galaxy's been afraid that you're about to start an invasion, but you're just trying to make sure he doesn't get back. Seems to me you're terrified of this guy."

"What do you know of Urdnot Wrex, human?" The krogan roared. "Nothing! You are as foolish as the rest of your kind!"

The screen deactivated, leaving the deck in silence.

"That … did not seem helpful." Scarlet said, a reproachful look in her eyes.

Finn couldn't really argue the point, so he didn't bother. He did, however, activate the sub-light engines at full thrust, heading straight towards the thresher ship. The space behind them exploded as multiple blasts and shots rocketed through the space they had previously occupied.

"Finn?"

"Don't worry, I've got a plan."

"Is that supposed to be comforting?" Azure asked, her eyes on her own console. "You're heading straight for that monster!"

"Yup." Finn replied. He supposed he could've said more, but he really needed to keep his attention on his controls, especially with another wave of nasty ballistics heading their way.

The thresher ship loomed before them like a great monster of space, its maw open as it fired a barrage that would lay waste to a legion of ships. In fact, it did lay waste to a legion of ships, namely the krogan fleet chasing the Meridia. At Finn's command, the Meridia danced through the armada followed by a trail of detonations that left devastation in its wake. His training with Billy had not gone to waste; as they neared the dreadnaught, not a single missile made contact with the Meridia.

"I’ll be damned.” Violet said, “Kyra wasn’t kidding about you.”

"Oh, the best is yet to come." Finn said, not looking at Violet. "Everyone hold on; this is going to get a little rough."

The head of the krogan dreadnaught slowly turned as the small asari ship zoomed past it, quickly weaving between the spikes that lined the sides of the ship. Finn very much doubted the spikes were for anything but intimidation. Still, more than a few were blasted clean off as Finn circled the ship's long body. A few shots managed to clip their kinetic barriers, but if anything, the jolts only piqued Finn’s excitement.

This is why he was a pilot, he thought. This is why he dreamed of flying since he was a small child. The rush he felt as he avoided death at every spin and swerve made his senses sharpen to the point he felt nothing could possibly even touch him. It was almost like streaming, the way he was almost not even looking at the console anymore, like he was flying by feel rather than the controls.

Noir's voice broke through his thoughts. "FTL drive's back online!"

"Thank the Creator." Finn breathed. “Time to leave, then.”

"Don't get cocky!" Azure snapped. "That thing's head is almost facing us!"

Scarlet rose from her chair dramatically. "There's no choice. Azure?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Azure replied, "Understood."

"Wait!" Finn said, his fingers already dancing across the controls in preparation. "Give me a minute!"

"We don't have a minute, Mister Cresste!" Scarlet said, tension audible in her voice.

Swearing under his breath, Finn started up the FTL drive, prepositioning the ship in the envelope as it began to form around them. Streaming was tricky, and jumping straight into streaming was close to suicidal, though perhaps not as much as sitting in front of the thresher ship's main guns. As the drive activated and his eyes began to water, he was dimly aware of Azure shouting, "Firing!"

The stars leapt forward in Finn's vision, accompanied by a strange purple haze that seemed to tint everything. Streaming came effortlessly, far easier than Finn had expected, and yet something about it felt wrong.

"Kee'lah!" Amber whispered in reverent awe. "How … _what_ are you doing?"

Finn couldn't answer; although they were now far away from the armada, he could feel they were still in danger. Tearing his thoughts from the universe expanding before him, he let the ship fall back to the center of the FTL envelope before reversing the engines.

Nothing happened. The ship naturally settled back into the FTL envelope, but the engines refused to reverse. After a few panicked moments, Finn realized that his controls weren't working.

"Noir." Finn said, "Reverse the engines; my console's bugged."

After a few moments of no response, Lady Scarlet tapped the panel built into the arm of her command chair, asking, "Noir? Noir, can you hear me?"

"Ship's systems are down!" Azure called out, working furiously at her console, which seemed to retain some small spark of life.

"I thought it wouldn't affect us!" Scarlet said, hurrying to Azure's side.

"The defensive fields were shut down when we entered FTL." Azure shot a glare at Finn, who was still busy beneath his console.

“Take the helm for a bit, would you, Amber?” Finn slid under his chair and took a look at the underside of the console in the event something had come loose. From what he could tell, the flight console wasn't getting any power. The engines were still working, though, which meant they were barreling through the cosmos with no way to slow down or steer.

"Finn! Finn, can you hear me?" Jake’s voice asked through Finn’s internal comm.

"Jake?" Finn said, surprised. "You're okay!"

Amber peered beneath the console. "Who is Jake?"

"I'll tell you later. Jake, can you reach the engine room? I need to talk with Noir."

"Way ahead of you, bro. Noir! Finn's wanting conversation!"

After a few moments, Noir said, "Uh, hey Finn. I'm a bit busy down here; the engines just went haywire, and half the ship just went dead."

"I noticed. Look, I had to stream out of there, and Azure did something that killed the flight controls while we’re still stuck in FTL. Can you reverse the engines?"

"Hang on;" After a few moments, Noir said, "No good; everything outside of the engine room was fried. Look, there's an emergency backup generator on the bridge; it should be just under the helm console."

Finn glanced down and spotted the recessed handle right by his right foot. "Got it. Do what you can from there, and I'll try to keep us from becoming another twinkling spot in the night sky."

A brief tug on the panel revealed a small cylindrical generator. One look told Finn that they were still in trouble; there wasn't much power in that tiny thing. Still, it was better than nothing; Finn activated the generator and hooked it up to his console.

"It's back on!" Amber told him as he pulled himself back to his seat.

Finn quickly reversed the engines. As the ship came out of FTL, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Let's see." he muttered, "Looks like … wow. Hey, Scarlet, looks like we're close to Tuchanka!"

"Thank the Ancestors for small favors." She breathed, leaning back into her seat. "Can we land?"

"I think-" Finn stopped as the lights of his console began to flicker. "Oh, lord."

"Finn?" Scarlet asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

Finn shook his head as he tried to work the console. "I've got some control, but we haven't completely stopped yet."

"Well, that's good, right?" Amber asked, perking up. "I mean, we can land now, right?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. We'll end up on the ground one way or the other."


	14. Seat backs and Tray tables

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After another stellar landing, Finn and company head out to see where they are.

Perhaps it was a result of all the hits to the head over the years, but Finn was the first to wake up.

"Finn! Finn, can you hear me?! Say somethin', bro!"

Well, perhaps not the first. Finn put a hand to the side of his head, more in a vain attempt to subdue the headache he instinctively knew was moments away than any need to activate his radio transceiver. "Somethin', bro."

A short laugh tinged with relief answered him. "Thank Glob, man; I was sure you were toast. Everyone down here's okay, though Darsan's whining about getting a little bump."

"Indignant." came Darsan's reply, "It really hurt. I could have been seriously injured."

"You didn't even fall down." Jake told him. "How about you, bro? That was one hell of a landing."

"Landing." Finn repeated, massaging his temple. "That's right; we were heading straight for Tuchanka, and …"

He glanced around the bridge as his memory caught up with him. It had survived more or less intact, though not a single console seemed to be online at that point. Less reassuring, however, were the still forms of the members of Siren's Call.

Amber was the closest; she was still in her seat, her head nestled against her folded arms as they rested against the console.

"Hey." Finn said as he shook her by the shoulder in as gently a fashion as he could while still hopefully rousing her. A few moments later, she raised her head, her slightly orange-tinted eyes peering bleerily above her arms. "Mmm … wha?"

Smiling, Finn said, "Take a second; I'm gonna go check on the others."

Violet was already starting to stand, albeit shakily, so Finn moved to Azure next. She was lying on the floor, one arm trailing over the slightly raised platform of the captain's chair, where Scarlet was still sitting, a protective field holding her in place.

"Quick thinking." Finn told her unmoving form as he knelt by Azure.

He shook her gently by the arm.  “Azure?  You okay there?”

After a few more moments of shaking, she opened her eyes groggily. "Huh? Oh, it's you."

"Glad to see you made it too." Finn jerked a thumb at Scarlet, saying, "I assume there's some way to deactivate that."

He helped her to her feet, hesitating for a moment when he saw her wince.

"You okay?" He asked, ready to catch her if she fell.

"I'm fine." She said coldly, jerking her arm away. In a more calm voice, she said, "I think I dislocated my shoulder, that's all."

"Well, do you need-" Finn winced as she abruptly slammed her shoulder against the nearest wall.

She let out a grunt of pain before turning her attention back to him. "You say something?"

Raising his hands, he said, "Okay, nevermind. You don't need anything from me. Got it."

As they moved to Scarlet's chair, Finn noticed Azure's eyes dart in Amber's direction for a moment. He quickly looked away before she noticed his noticing; not his affair, after all.

Kneeling by the base of the chair, Azure said, "Just need to pull out the auxiliary power supply. Can't make these too hard to deactivate, or people would get trapped forever."

After a few moments of fumbling, she yanked out a small battery. The field around Scarlet died instantly.

"Scarlet?" Finn asked. When she didn't respond, he checked her pulse. After a few moments of sheer panic, he checked her pulse properly; while they looked very similar, there were a few small biological differences between humans and quarians.

"Pulse is strong." He commented. "She's still breathing too … good. I didn't feel like giving her an hour of mouth-to-mouth."

"An hour?" Azure asked incredulously. "Is that what it takes for humans?"

"Isn't that what it takes for quarians? To ensure proper breathing and comfort levels, right? Kyra's been teaching me."

For the first time since Finn had met her, Azure smiled … a little. "Oh is she? And during the demonstrated hour, you never thought to question her about it?"

Blushing, Finn said, "I, uh, kinda lost track of time, to be honest."

"Uh-huh."

Fortunately, further conversation was cut short as Scarlet began to rouse.

After shifting slightly in her seat, she slowly opened her eyes and stared at the anxious faces of Finn and Azure. "Oh … was I …?"

She suddenly stood up, nearly bowling the two of them over. Staring around in horror, she said, "How bad is it?"

"I don't know." Azure glanced at Finn. "Though I'm guessing inertial dampeners are still functioning, seeing as we aren't splattered over the viewscreen."

There was a slight accusing tone in her voice that raised Finn's metaphorical hackles. "Hey, I got us down alive, didn't I? If you hadn't fired off that … whatever the hell that was-"

"I had everything under control." Azure snapped. "If you could've waited a few seconds before legging it like a startled-"

"Enough!" It was the firmness of Scarlet's voice that cut through the squabbling. "This isn't helping us. We could still be in danger."

"We're crashed on Tuchanka.” Violet called out from beneath her console, “I think it's safe to say danger is a given."

"Thank you, Violet." Scarlet rubbed her eyes. "We need to find out exactly where we are, and if the krogans know we're here."

A loud hum shot through the air as the scanner console came back online. Violet slid out from beneath the console and said, "I'm on it.”

They crowded around the console as Violet ran her scans. “Hmm.  Sensors must’ve been partially damaged.  I’m not reading any nearby energy signatures, though.  Stone, natural growth … we seem to be in some sort of cavern.”

“Is that it?” Azure asked, hands on her hips.

Violet shot her an annoyed look. “Like I said, sensors must be damaged; I’m barely seeing more than a kilometer in any direction.”

“Maybe it’s not the ship.” Finn mused. “Maybe we’re shielded somehow.”

“I’d like to be sure.” Scarlet rested her hand on Violet’s shoulder. “I’ll keep working on the sensors; could you and Azure go scout out the nearby area?”

“Sure thing, boss.” Violet said.

“Finn?” Scarlet asked, her eyes meeting his, “Could you go with them?”

“Wouldn’t it be better if I helped Noir with the ship?

"We have no idea where we are." Scarlet said. "Since we aren't under attack, I think it's safe to say we're not too close to any settled area, but if we come online and something picks up on us before we can fly … well, I'm sure I don't have to paint a picture.  We need to know if we’re safe here."

Finn traded glances with Violet and Azure. Violet shrugged, a sly smile on her face, while Azure just looked annoyed. With a sigh, she muttered, "Fine. Come on, you two."

Jake's voice came from Finn's subdermal implant as Finn and company started climbing down the maintenance tunnel. "Don't worry, bro; we'll help Noir get this bucket working on the down-low while you scout out the area. Be careful, though; krogans are nasty."

"Now, now." Said a voice Finn had almost forgotten. "That's not a very PC attitude."

"Hikari?" Jake asked, which was fortunate seeing as there was no way Finn could have spoken without Violet and Azure hearing. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Watching. Listening. Scheming."

Something about the strange tone of impish delight in her voice when she said the word 'scheming' made Finn instantly apprehensive.

"Well, I'm sure Finn's working on a way to get The Creator's Tear-"

"Jake, Jake, Jake." She interrupted. "Surely by now you realize that the Creator's Tear isn't what I'm truly looking for. No, my sights are a bit higher at the moment, and you'd do well to assist me … unless you'd like your little League to go to one."

Finn let out a sigh; he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised that Hikari knew about the League, and yet her sudden disinterest in the gem tickled at the back of his mind.

"Why should we help you?" Jake asked defiantly. "We've got things under control."

"You're crashed on a planet full of angry krogan, and while it's true they haven't noticed you yet, it would be unfortunate if something were to happen to … illuminate your position."

The lights of the ship flickered momentarily, so quickly that Finn wasn't sure if it was coincidence or not.

"Fine." Finn muttered.

Violet and Azure glanced at Finn, but he was careful to keep his expression blank while the conversation in his ear continued. "Ah, excellent. I knew I could count on you, Finn. Now, for the time being, I'm going to confiscate your little radio link. Goodbye, Jake!"

"Now just a-" There was a brief hum followed by a moment of silence from Jake.

"There we go." Hikari told him, the sound of hands clapping audible. "Now I have you all to myself. I'll be listening, so no revealing uncomfortable secrets to your new friends."

Finn seethed. She was threatening him, and he couldn't even respond because of his present company.

His new companions weren't much for talking either, though Finn could only guess at their reasoning. It was more than a bit awkward, especially since Finn was standing between them.

No sooner than they had exited the maintenance passage and stepped out into the cargo bay, Azure rounded on Finn and said, "Listen here, Cresste, I don't know what you're really planning, and I don't particularly care. Scarlet says we work together; I’m find with that, but next time you do something that puts this ship and crew in danger-"

"Hey!" Finn said. "If you had clued me in to your little surprise-“

"Shut up!" She paused a moment before continuing, "It was an accident, I'll grant you that. Just make sure you understand; the members of Siren's call are my friends … my family. I'll do anything to keep them safe, and if you do something to harm them in any way, I'll chase you to the galactic core. Understood?"

"More than you know." Finn told her, thinking of his friends on the Ulasomorf.

A strange look crossed her face. Shaking her head, she stomped towards the loading hatch. Violet gave Finn a shrug and a smile, reminding Finn strongly of Kyra. As he followed Kyra’s sister out of the lift, he glanced at his omni-tool; she’d be in the lounge at the moment.  They shared a love of old television shows, and had been watching through a particularly amusing series about a vampire, a ghost, and a werewolf who lived in the same flat.  At that moment, he would’ve given almost anything to be sitting by her on the couch, both of them riffing the show in an effort to make the other laugh.

The loading ramp wasn’t an option; the backup generator installed to power it was completely wrecked. Even if they had been able to get the door open, it represented a sizeable entry point that would be hard to defend should they come under attack.  Fortunately, there was a small maintenance hatch just big enough for the three of them to exit the Meridia after donning oxygen masks. Azure made a point of sending Finn first. He didn't object; if they were near any krogans, he was sure they'd be pounding on the hull by that point.

As the outer door opened, Finn felt a rush of wind rush through his hair. Glancing up, he felt his jaw go slack. "Definitely not a cavern."

"What? Azure asked, "What is it?"

Finn finished crawling out of the tube so the others could exit as well. They both stood beside him, their eyes staring out in all directions.

The Meridia was sitting near the center of a large raised platform within an enormous chamber of carved stone, marks of the space vessel’s hurried decent visible across the ancient ruins. The clearing in which the ship lay was itself was quite large and had several large patches of dark green grass, usually situated around one of the few rough and gnarled trees that had managed to force their way through the harsh soil and aged stonework to stretch their leaves towards the cloud-filled sky visible through holes in the ancient ceiling. Thick growths of ivies surrounded all such openings, save for the one on the far end of the enormous chamber, no doubt the hole created by the Meridia.

However, it was the massive statues surrounding the clearing that caught Finn's eyes and undoubtedly Azure's and Violet's as well. Towering at least a hundred feet above them, the stone eyes of krogan long dead encircled the clearing, watching the comparatively tiny Meridia impassively. 

As Finn stared into the distance, he said, "I'll be damned."

"You and me both." Violet said, spinning around slowly as she took in the chamber. "I never thought a place like this could exist on Tuchanka."

"It's kinda comforting, if you think about it." Azure said, a softness in her voice Finn had yet to hear. "When all is said and done, when all the wars and battles are over and we're nothing but crumbling bones and dust, the planets will slowly reclaim what is rightfully theirs."

She blushed when she noticed Finn and Violet staring at her. Coughing, she pointed to the nearest edge. "Let's get moving."

“One sec.” Violet activated her omni-tool. “Scarlet?  Violet here. Looks like we’re in some kinda ancient krogan ruin. Whole place looks like it was carved out of a canyon; there’s probably something in the rock that’s blocking us from sensors.  We’re going to take a closer look around the area.”

“Roger that.”

There were steps near the edge that seemed to surround the entire platform, leading down towards the walls of the chambers. There were doorways there; many were collapsed, but there were a few that still seemed passable. After a few minutes, they found one such passage that had an old but not ancient thermal clip casing lying nearby.

Violet ran her hand over it for a moment, "Scan says it's been here for roughly four-hundred years."

"Four-hundred years?" Azure said, giving her sister a strange look. "Shepard wrote about krogan ruins in his memoirs … do you think these are the same ruins?"

"Probably not." Violet said, a note of disappointment in her voice. "After his memoirs, those ruins were practically a tourist trap; someone would've noticed us already. Besides, the casing's crude, and definitely not Alliance issue; looks like something made locally."

Finn commented, "A clan war, maybe? Someone who didn't want to unify under Clan Urdnot?"

Azure shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Still, someone came this way once, we may not be far from some sort of settlement.  We should check it out.”

“Agreed.” Violet activated her Omni-tool again. “Scarlet, we found a tunnel leading out of the ruins that might lead out.  We’re going to check it out.”

“Understood. Proceed with caution and try to avoid contact with the locals.”

As they stepped into the corridor, Finn asked, “Anyone bring any string?”


	15. Alone in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn gets lost in the ancient krogan ruins after a nasty fall. He finds his way into ... a walk-in freezer?

Finn woke up feeling more than a little confused.  This was partly because he was surrounded by darkness, which in his current state made it difficult to tell if he had actually woken up.  A sharp pain in his head as he slowly sat up helped him answer that particular question.

“Eesh.” He muttered, massaging his head in a vain attempt to make the pain go away.  “What happened?”

There was no answer.  In truth, he hadn’t expected one, but something in the back of his mind insisted that this was a cause for alarm.  Still rubbing his head, he tried to remember the events preceding his little visit to the dream realm.  It was all a bit hazy, but he remembered wandering around a krogan ruin in search of … something.  There was a long tunnel, a loud click, and then Azure and Violet shouting as the ground gave way under him.

He sat bolt upright, the haze around his thoughts vanishing in a single panicked instant.  “Azure!  Violet!”

He glanced around, a useless gesture seeing as he was still in complete darkness.  Shaking his sore head, he activated his omni tool and adjusted the brightness settings to maximum. It didn’t provide much extra light, but it was enough to see a distinct lack of Violet and Azure.  While it was relieving to know they hadn’t been caught in the trap, it still left him in a nasty spot.

“Hang on.” He muttered to himself, tapping at his omni-tool.

A small orb of light appeared in front of him moments later.  He rarely used his repair drone, even though it was standard equipment for an engineer’s omni-tool; he preferred to do the fixing himself, and not through a proxy.  Still, it had its uses; he sent it straight up as far as it could go, but even the drone’s night vision filter couldn’t spot the tunnel from which he had fallen. His omni-tool recorded his path, however, and a quick examination showed a staircase just down the passage that seemed to lead back to the floor above.

Thanking whatever benevolent deity had allowed him to land more or less unharmed, He opened his mouth to call out when his ears picked up the sound of footsteps, and not the faint graceful tapping of quarian footsteps.  No, these footsteps sounded much heavier.

Swearing beneath his breath, he looked around for a place to hide before squeezing between a large chunk of rock and a nearby wall. It was a tight fit, but a little shifting enabled him to find a position that allowed him to breath.

The glimmer of light made him realize he had forgotten about his drone.  He started to dismiss it when it occurred to him that it might be just what he needed.  With a bit of tweaking, he manipulated the drone’s holographic matrix into the form of a rough piece of stone and sent it to the other end of the hallway.

He didn’t have to wait long for the source of the footsteps: three armor-clad krogans.  Two carried a large fearsome-looking creature of some sort on a spit between them, while the third seemed to be checking an extremely battered-looking datapad.

Finn had seen a few krogan before, but rarely so close.  They were downright massive as compared to the other species Finn had met, with the possible exception of the Trusk Neukaraans and the Elcor.  Humanoid in build but much stronger, their most noteable characteristic were the stone-like ridges that formed above their faces.  Finn didn’t know if the ridge plates were bone, cartilidge, or some manner of naturally produced metal plating, but he had once seen an angry krogan smash a solid sheet of Titanium allow with enough force to leave a sizeable dent, something Finn couldn’t accomplish with a high-grav sledge.  What little skin was visible appeared tough and leathery.

The krogan with the datapad raised his hand, causing the other two to stop.   Beads of sweat began to form on Finn’s forehead as the lead krogan stared around the tunnel, occasionally glancing at his datapad.

“This grendel isn’t getting any lighter, Jax.” One of the krogan carrying the beast rumbled.

The krogan presumably named Jax sneered.  “Getting tired already, Krom?”

Krom let out a laugh.  “Not even close.  I just don’t want to spend all damn day in this festering ruin.”

“This festering ruin is going to be the capital of the new Krogan Empire.” Jax said sharply.  “Now shut up; I’m trying to concentrate here.”

“Concentrate faster.” Complained the other krogan.  “I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry, Sam.”

Finn had to struggle not to break his silence to ask how a krogan came to be named Sam. It wasn’t easy.

After a few minutes, Jax pointed at one of the tunnels branching off from where they stood. “That way.”

“Are you sure?” Krom asked tiredly.  “Or are you just guessing again?”

“Of course I’m sure!” Jax said, sounding irritable.

“’Cause if I have to spend another hour hefting this carcass around because you screwed up reading the map again-“

“I said I’m sure!” Jax snapped.  “Get moving!”

Still snickering, Krom gestured to Sam and the two picked up the spit. Seeing they were heading in the opposite direction of the stairwell, Finn realized they must be fairly close to some sort of settlement.  Jax had mentioned that the ruin was to be the seat of an empire; there could be an army of krogan all around them working to rebuild and fortify the ruins. 

Scarlet needed more information, and although Finn was still a bit worried about Azure and Violet, he sent the drone ahead to follow the krogans while he followed as far back as he could without losing his connection.  It was slow going; the krogans appeared to be in no hurry.

“I don’t suppose you’re still listening in, Hikari.” Finn breathed as he carefully crept through the ancient passage.

There was no response.  Finn could only guess why; perhaps she was otherwise occupied.  Perhaps she was just messing with him.  Shaking his head, he continued onward.

The krogans stopped a few times, presumably for Jax to check his datapad for directions.  They didn’t talk much, other than to bicker amongst themselves, though Finn noticed that the one named Krom seemed to be a bit kinder to the one named Sam, sometimes resulting in an argument with Jax.

It was during one of these arguments that Sam, obviously trying his best to stay out of the argument, looked straight at the drone. Finn felt his heart freeze as an umistakable look of suspicion fell across the krogan’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Krom asked once the argument abated.

Sam shook his head and muttered, “Nothing.”

“Spit it out, already.”

Sam glanced at Finn’s drone again. “That rock … that one right there.”

“It’s a rock, Sam.  Lot of ‘em in this place.”

“Yeah, but that rock in particular …” to Finn’s horror, Sam walked up to the drone and squatted down beside it.  “I’m sure I’ve seen it before.”

“How can you tell?” Despite his tone, Krom was now looking at the rock with interest.  “I mean, it’s just a rock, right?”

Sam stared wordlessly for a long moment, his leathery face looming large in Finn’s camera feed.  Finn started to panic as Sam reached out a massive hand to grab the disguised drone.

“Hey!” Everyone jumped (none more so than Finn) at the sudden shout from Jax.  He was looking at Krom and Sam with obvious annoyance.  “Stop goofing around!  We’re almost there!”

“Thank Kalros!” Krom slapped Sam on the back. “C’mon!  Let’s get outta here already!”

Sam nodded, his eyes still on the rock.  After a few tense moments, he slowly stood and followed Krom.

Finn breathed a sigh of relief, both at the close shave and at the prospect of being out of the ruins.  As he started to round the corner, however, the sound of quickly approaching krogan footsteps made him freeze.  It was Sam; despite shouts from the hall behind him, the krogan ran through the room to where the drone was resting, lifted one massive foot, and brought it down with enough force to shatter the ancient tile.  The only saving grace was that his large foot obscured the brief flash of light that marked Finn’s drone being summarily deactivated.

“Sam!”

“Yeah, I’m coming!” With a satisfied nod, the krogan known as Sam jogged back from whence he came.

Finn hurried around the corner as fast as he dared, but he had a nasty feeling that it was too late.  He was, unfortunately, correct; a short ways down the corridor, the path led into a chamber that split in four directions.  There was a large smooth hole in the center of the ceiling that seemed to go up forever to some distant point of light that Finn hoped was the surface, even if he had no way of climbing the smooth passage.  He checked the floor, but there was nothing on any of the paths to indicate through which the krogans had departed.  It was a ruin, after all.

“Perfect.” He muttered, running a hand through his hair.  “Now what?”

He stared at the paths for a long time, hoping in vain to notice some tiny clue as to the krogan’s destination.  Sighing, he turned up the light of his amp a little, picked a direction at random, and started walking.

The ruins were really impressive, considering the source.  Had Finn been in a less dire situation (and on a less dire planet), he would’ve loved to spend some time looking at the ancient carvings.  As it was, he had enough on his plate just keeping himself from falling into a blind panic, especially after he ended up into another room with the strange ceiling hole.  If it weren’t for the pathfinding function of his omni-tool, he would’ve thought he had gone in a massive circle.

With a sigh, he sat down on a chunk of rock and considered his options; he was in the middle of a krogan ruin with no way to contact anyone he cared to alert to his presence, no certain way back to the Meridia and most importantly, he was getting really annoyed by whoever was humming that annoying tune.

He sat bolt upright when the impact of that final thought fully hit him.  For a few moments, he was sure he was just imagining the sound.  As he moved towards the passage on his left, however, he realized that it was real.  He grew even more excited when a couple corridors later, he saw a light; it was shabby and looked like it would fall off the wall at any moment, but it was light.

“Thank god.” Finn muttered.  “At this point, I’ll take the damn krogans over this place.”

As he continued down the lighted corridor, he realized the humming was growing louder.  It was deep, and surprisingly jaunty.  He supposed it was krogan, but it was hard to be sure; they weren’t exactly the jaunty type.  Whatever was making this particular krogan so happy was surely something he wanted no part of, and yet Finn found himself curious.

Eventually, the tunnel led to a chamber filled with hanging corpses of various Tuchanka wildlife, many little more than skeletons.  Fresh blood dripped from one of the dead beasts; with some satisfaction, Finn recognized it as the beast that the two krogan had carried.  Still, a room full of dead bodies more than a bit disconcerting.  There were some stained sacks lining the far wall, most right beside the single door that led from the room.

He was just wondering why someone had hung the carcasses there when he passed through some kind of energy field, startling him in no small way. 

“Well, that answers that.” He muttered, shivering in the suddenly cold air.  “It’s a freezer!”

He tried to go back through the field, but some invisible force blocked his path.

As he stood there in the cold, his mind raced.  A repulser field?  Why?  Did someone really think one of the monsters would just pull itself off its meat hook and escape?  He stared at the hanging corpses a moment, a horrifying thought entering his head: Unless there’s something invisible in here.

Groaning, Finn muttered, “Thanks, imagination.  I really needed that.”

Unfortunately, with the way back blocked, he had no option but the door and whatever humming entity lay beyond. Wondering not for the first time how his day had ended up this way, he activated the door’s control panel.

A blast of warmth washed over him as the door slid open.  He stepped forward, savoring the feeling as the freezer door slid shut behind him.  He was now in a much larger room filled with stone slabs that were covered with what appeared to be food, mostly hunks of charbroiled meat.  To his amazement, Finn noticed one table filled with earth vegetables; he tried to imagine a krogan eating a salad, but his mind rebelled.

He picked up an apple and gave it a sniff before taking a bite.  It was surprisingly fresh. 

“I wonder where they get fresh vegetables on Tuchanka?” He wondered, tossing the apple into the air.  He intended to catch it before it fell, but a massive three-fingered hand reached out from behind him and snatched it out of the air.  He instinctively tried to run, but a blue glow seemed to suffuse his body, holding him fast.

He watched in horror as the massive form of a krogan slowly walked into his field of vision, tossing the apple up and catching it several times.  “I grow ‘em myself, thank you very much.”


	16. Crash Cookin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn finds himself in the tender mercies of a krogan with aspirations of being a chef, and runs into a peculiar prisoner in a shirt of green and gray stripes.

"On Elsa's moon, my hearts were lost to the fair maid Nelda. She stabbed me once, she kicked me twice, but where, I just won't tell ya!"

Finn let out a sigh. He'd stick his fingers in his ears if his hands weren't hanging two feet above his head and bound by a thick rope. He wasn't alone either; there was a young human woman hanging beside him, apparently unconscious. She wore a green and gray-striped shirt that hung on one shoulder, a pair of blue jean shorts much too large for her, and a pair of ragged-looking sandals. She had a strange tattoo on the back of her right hand; for just a moment, Finn could swore he saw the tattoo glow.

Sighing loudly, Finn said, "I thought krogan singing was ruled cruel and unusual punishment."

The krogan chuckled as he continued chopping meat on a large piece of blasted bulkhead that served as a cutting board. "Jus' trying to pass the time. Your friend up yet?"

Finn glanced at his fellow captive. "Still asleep … and she's not my friend."

"My bad. I caught her sneaking around my freezer too, so I just guessed you were together." The krogan glanced back at him. "Lotta humans sneakin' around my deep freeze lately. Makes a fellow a bit suspicious. What would humans want in my larder?"

"I'm an agent of the Shadow Broker working with interstellar thieves to steal the jewel in the Primarch's headpiece." Finn said in a dry tone.

The krogan chuckled again. "Sure you are."

"No one ever believes me." Finn muttered as the krogan continued to chop at the slab of meat on his makeshift table. After listening to the rhythmic thump of the knife against the board for a few more minutes, Finn asked, "So, what's your name?"

"Call me Tuck. You?"

"Finn." Given his recent experiences, he opted not to reveal his last name.

"Well, Finn, I'm glad you stopped on by. You see, krogans aren't known for being …" Tuck waved his knife around a few times before continuing, "Well, let's just say we aren't known to be picky eaters. Most consider a slab of roasted thresher and a jug of ryncol fine dining."

Letting out a derisive snort, Tuck said, "Y'see, it's not that we don't have taste; it's that we taught ourselves not to care. Well, I aim to fix that. Ol' Wrex agreed with me; that's why he sent me to Reblax. You heard of Reblax, kid?"

Finn thought on it for a moment. "It's a cooking school on Ilium, isn't it?"

"Best in the galaxy. Y'see, being a cook is hard work; ya gotta know who you're cooking for. Levo, dextro, omni: that stuff's simple, but you can't always work with chirality. Turians and quarians are both dextro, but you feed 'em both a nice glommberry cobbler, and it's only the turian who starts choking on his own tongue. Asari and humans share chirality, but if you accidentally seasoned your braised beef stew with a pinch of spacum for a bit of flavor, the asari will start laughing nonstop and the human will pass out! No, Finn, cooking's complicated stuff, and a good meal can make all the difference. Wrex knew that … or maybe he just wanted something with a bit more flavor."

"A krogan chef." Finn said, feeling a bit dazed. "Well, that's … different."

"Ain't it just?" The krogan put down his knife. Picking up two large handfuls of meat, he turned to face Finn. "I'm gonna bring a bit of class to this rock, one meal at a time."

Tuck dropped the meat into a large pot and wiped his hands. "And that is where you come in."

"I do?" Finn asked, not sure he was liking where the situation was heading.

"Yup. You see, in terms of taste, our species aren't too different. Oh, don't get me wrong; down and dirty krogan cooking would hit you like a plasma round to the guts. That's the kinda food we're trying to get away from. When it comes down to it, though, I've found that our tastes aren't that different."

Finn raised an eyebrow at this. "Really."

"Oh, yes. We've got a bit more tolerance for spices, but other than that, we seem to like similar things." He walked over to Finn and poked him in the chest. "That, my boy, is why I'm glad you stopped by. See, I need someone to try some of my latest creations."

"Wouldn't another krogan be more ideal?" Finn asked, trying to ignore a growing sense of dread.

"Yeah, but they're all busy. They even called away my assistants. Tried to call me too, but I'm too busy to go searching for some crashed ship."

"What?!"

Tuck let out a snort. "Yeah. Thought it was you and your friend at first but I can't see you two flying in an asari ship. Mercs are usually more practical."

"Uh, right." Inwardly, Finn swore. Apparently someone had gotten word to Tuchanka about the Meridia. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised; their arrival wasn't exactly big on stealth. Still he had to find a way to get free and get word to the Meridia … if it wasn't already too late.

"Anyway, enough about them." Tuck grabbed a ladle from a messy stack of utensils and dipped it into the stew. "Since you're here, you can have the first taste."

"First taste? Oh, no."

"Oh, yes." Tuck sniffed at the full ladle and let out a satisfied sigh. "I'm gonna have to insist."

He strode over to Finn and held the ladle up to his face. "Now make sure you take a good long whiff of it first. The bouquet is what's gonna be drawing them in, after all."

Finn took a tenative whiff. It smelled of meat and spice, a not unpleasant combination.

"Ah?" Tuck said, raising the ladle a little so Finn could reach it with his mouth.

Seeing as he was sure he'd be tasting it either way, Finn steeled himself and took a big slurp from the ladle.

"Don't swallow it right away." Tuck said suddenly, nearly making Finn choke. The thought of what the krogan might do if Finn spat the stew in his face was enough to block out Finn's gag reflex. "Swill it around a little; get a good taste."

Finn swished the stew around in his cheeks. After a few moments his eyes went wide.

Tuck nodded. "Eh? Not bad, right? Now swallow."

The stew slid down Finn's throat, a startlingly tasty mix of beef, pepper, cilantro, and cream.

He looked up into the krogan's eager face. "It's pretty damn good."

"Ha! My first satisfied customer!" Tuck dipped the ladle back into his pot (apparently hygiene wasn't taught at Reblax, Finn thought to himself) and took a long swill himself.

"It is pretty good." He said, eyeing the pot. "But there's still something missing."

Without another word, Tuck disappeared through the door to the freezer, only to pop his head back in a moment later. "Don't go anywhere!"

"Hardy-har har." Finn said with a scowl.

Tuck let out a bark of a laugh before vanishing once again into the freezer.

"Well, that happened." Finn muttered to himself. He could still taste the stew, which only made him think of how long it had been since he had eaten a good meal.

Finn gave his restraints a shake again to no avail. Sighing, he glanced at his sister-in-chains. "I don't suppose you have any ideas."

"Depends." She replied, her eyes still closed. "Is he gone?"

Finn stared at her. "You've been awake this whole time?"

"Well, I sure wasn't going to eat what the turtle-man was cooking." A grin appeared on the woman's face. Without another word, she flipped up and planted her feet on either side of the beam from which they were suspended. With a grunt, she managed to snap the rope and land with catlike grace on the floor.

"Wow." Finn said as she stood up and dusted off her hands. "You're a lot stronger than you look."

"I get that a lot. Hang on a sec; I'll cut you down."

Finn thought she'd grab a knife from the table, but she simply leaned forward and ran a finger across the rope. The rope snapped as though cut with a high-precision laser.

"Thanks." He told her as he tried to rub the life back into his arms.

She waved him off. "No problem. Now maybe you can help me; where am I?"

"Tuchanka." He told her. Seeing her blank expression, he continued, "Aralkah System? Krogan DMZ?"

"Sorry." She said as she slipped the rope into one of her pockets. "Isn't ringing any bells. Is it anywhere near Vinta?"

"Vinta?"

"Hmm." The woman scratched the side of her head thoughtfully. "Okay, how about Earth? Are we anywhere near there?"

"Not really."

"But you've heard of it." She nodded as though satisfied. "That's something at least. What year is it anyway?"

Finn stared at her. "Who are you? How could you not know what the year is?"

She opened her mouth to answer, only for a loud clang to sound from the freezer.

"Ah, crap!" The woman glanced around. "I thought we'd have a little more time. Look, I'm glad to help, but I really don't want to hear any more of his singing."

"That makes two of us." Finn nodded to one of the doors leading out of the chamber. "Let's get out of here."

The two slinked out of the kitchen, both eyeing the freezer door with concern as they tiptoed past. Once they were out of the room, they both let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, that's that then." She glanced at Finn and offered her hand. "I'm Glen, by the way."

"Glen?"

Her cheeks went red. "Well, technically Glenda, but if you call me that I'm gonna punch you."

Shaking his head, Finn said, "Glen it is. I'm Finn."

"Nice to meetcha, Finn!" She gave his hand a hearty shake. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Sighing, she said, "I crashed my … well, I guess ship is as good a term as any. During the landing, I managed to lose a pretty crucial part, and I need to get it back so I can head home. Fortunately, I've got something that'll lead me straight to it."

She raised the heavier of the chains that hung around her neck, revealing an old brass skeleton key with a crystalline gem set in the grip. The links of the chain clinked as the key was pulled toward the wall on their right.

Glen stuffed the key back into her shirt. "But I've got plenty of time. What about you? Is what you told that turtle guy true?"

"About the Shadow Broker and the thieves? Yeah, pretty much. We need the jewel in the krogan leader's headpiece to find the location of a hidden cache." He stopped, realizing he had given a bit more information than he intended. "It's a long story."

"Ooh, tell me!" She lifted a small metal disc, adding, "I'll give you a shiny nickel."

Finn couldn't help but laugh at that. "Okay, but remember; you asked for it."


	17. Sneaks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Glen sneak into a major krogan building and discover the location of the Blood of the Krogan; on the head of the current despot.

The surface of Tuchanka wasn’t exactly a hospitable place.  Blasted to hell by the krogan during their frequent wars, a large chunk of the planet was now covered in rubble.  Abandoned by the krogan, the shells of ancient buildings jutted up from the blasted earth like broken teeth of some ancient monstrosity long since slain.  New construction was evident around the mountain that housed the ruins (and at the moment, the Meridia), but while some effort was being made to reclaim the area, the ancient roads around the ruined buildings were deserted. This worked out great for Finn and his new friend Glen.

“Reminds me of home.” Glen said, her hands behind her head as she and Finn walked down an abandoned road interlacing the ancient buildings.  “Still, it could be worse.  They’re still alive.”

Shaking her head, Glen turned her attention back to Finn.  “So you’re some sort of secret agent, huh?”

“Something like that.” Finn said.  He had told her pretty much everything.  She had asked questions, which was understandable, but the questions she asked weren’t the ones he’d expect given the circumstances.  She seemed far more interested in what races and planets Finn had encountered than his adventures, though she had not dismissed his activities as uninteresting.

“That’s cool.  I tried the secret agent thing once; never really cared for it.  I guess I’m more of a lone wolf.”  Grinning, she added, “Guess that makes me a bitch, huh?”

Finn didn’t respond, which just made her laugh and punch him playfully in the arm. “Ah, don’t be so uptight, Finn.  Gotta be able to make fun of yourself, ya know.”

She gave him a playful jab in the shoulder that made him stumble slightly.  He didn’t complain; she reminded him strongly of his sister, Alea, even though they couldn’t have appeared more different.   Alea was small, pale-skinned, and graceful, whereas Glen was muscular, a bit clumsy, and so deeply tanned that Finn would’ve thought her of Indian descent had he not caught a glimpse of the pale white skin of her stomach while she wiped her forehead with the front of her shirt.  Still, both had a strange energy to them, a kind of bossiness that came off as more protective than demanding.

They were slowly but steadily making their way to a large building near the mountain that was more or less intact.  A platform had been erected nearby for incoming vessels more or less recently, which Finn took as a sign that it was a place of some importance.

“I still say it’s a bit of a stretch.” Glen said as they continued down the road.  “I mean, it could be anything.”

“Most krogan settlements are underground.” Finn explained again, refraining from sounding exasperated.  “If there’s a building in use, it stands to reason it’s important.”

“I know, I know.  From what Tuck said, I’m guessing the new krogan primarch has a bit of an ego, probably why he’s reclaiming the mountain. Where there’s an ego, there’s usually a tower.”

She said it in such a matter-of-factly matter that Finn didn’t question it.  She had said a few things like that before; phrases she considered bits of wisdom, but didn’t really make any sense to Finn. It was a little disconcerting. 

A shadow passed over them, making them both stop dead in their tracks.  Fortunately, the shuttle was high overhead, and didn’t stop.

“Okay, that’s the third one.” Finn said, “We need to get off the road before we get spotted.”

“Agreed.”

Direct access to the building was out of the question; even from a distance, they could spot more than a few krogan milling around the outskirts, no doubt watching for just the sort of trouble Finn and Glen represented.  Fortunately, while the buildings were mostly ruined, the sewers and drainage tunnels were mostly intact.

Unfortunately, they were also guarded; as they neared the grate that led into the storm drain,  a loud chorus of guttural growls filled the air, awakening Finn’s inner monkey. A pack of varren had nested around the storm drain, and they were evidently not too happy about the prospect of visitors.

“Great.”  Finn muttered reaching for his pistol only to remember it was still on Ilium.

“No worries.” Glen strode straight toward the pack, drawing their attention almost instantly. 

“Come on, boys!” She shouted, holding out her arms.  After a brief flash of light, both arms were engulfed in heavy-looking metal gauntlets. They clamped around her shoulders, making her already large arms appear even larger.

The first varren took a leap at her, only to get casually knocked aside.  The other varren immediately spread out, surrounding her.

“Ah, smart, are we?” She grinned at them with a malevolence that made Finn glad she was friendly to him.  “Well, let’s see how you manage this.”

A rope of light shot from the end of one gauntlet, entangling a varren.  With a wild spin, she sent the trapped varren flying into the other members of its pack.  The smarter varren quickly fled, while the slower got knocked aside.

Glen released the varren, which amazingly rose to its feet, albeit unsteadily.  It trembled as she strolled up to it and knelt down to look at it in its face.

“Go.”  She barked.

With a yip, the varren scampered off, followed by the frightened members of its pack.

Brushing off her metal-clad hands, Glen turned back to Finn.  “Just gotta know how to deal with ‘em.”

“I can see that.” Finn nodded at her arms. “What are those?”

“What, Headache?” She glanced at her arms.  “Just a little something I put together a long time ago.  They’re for building stuff really, but I added a few functions just in case I found a little trouble.”

“And did you?”

“Did I what?” She knelt by the storm drain and yanked the heavy metal grate off the ground with a grunt.  Finn could see the bolts that were previously holding it in still embedded in the frame.

Shaking his head, he said, “Find trouble.”

She let out another laugh.  “I always find trouble.”

With that, she leapt into the storm drain.

“Just like Alea.” Finn said, shaking his head as he followed suite.

The storm drain was a little cramped, but they were able to walk upright at least. As Glen had theorized, it did indeed seem to lead toward the populated building. Finn found himself grateful they decided against the sewers.

“So,” Glen asked after a few minutes, “What’s the plan?”

“Haven’t thought that far ahead.” Finn told her.  “I’ve come this far, though; if I can manage it, I need to get the jewel of the head krogan’s ceremonial headpiece.  Hopefully, he’ll have it locked away somewhere, in which case we’ll find where it’s hidden and steal it.”

“No, I mean once the whole mess with this is over and you’re back to dealing with the Evasive Man.”

“Illusive Man.” Finn corrected automatically.  “The Shadow Broker’s deciding the plan of assault.  I’m just following her orders.”

“Really?  You struck me as more the leader type.”

Now it was Finn’s turn to laugh.  “Yeah, that’s me.  Until this mess started, I was just a repairman on a station in the middle of nowhere.”

“Hey, nothing wrong with that.  I’m a bit of a repairman myself.  Repairwoman.  Person.  You know what I mean.”

“Shh!” Finn cocked his head.  He was certain he had just heard something from above them.

Glen followed his gaze until they both spotted a vent above them.  It was a wonder they hadn’t missed it; it was currently closed, and blended in almost perfectly with the rest of the dark gray ceiling. Ever so slowly, Finn raised a hand and opened the vent.

They were below an intersection of a much larger, roomier corridor.  A krogan was visible from between the slits, though the other krogan to which he spoke was out of view.

“What do you mean they got away?”

“The ship was gone by the time my squad got there.  No sign of anyone, either.”

“Damn asari spooks.   Why would they come here now?”

The other krogan didn’t respond.   He looked, to Finn’s eyes anyway, a little anxious.

“Well, whatever they’re trying to do, they’ll regret doing it here.  Go join up with the rest of the teams and do another sweep to make sure they didn’t leave anyone behind.”

“Yes, Primarch Jorgal.”

Finn’s eyes widened.  As the first krogan strode away, the second walked past the grate.  Finn had seen a few krogans before, but this was by far the largest he had ever seen.  While he bore the marks of age, he looked far from feeble.  He was accompanied by two other krogans, both massive as well and carrying heavy shotguns that looked to be capable of reducing a person to giblets with a single shot.

What almost made Finn groan, however, was the embellished metal headpiece the krogan wore.  Set into the center, just above the krogan’s natural ridge plate, was the Blood of the Krogan.  The red jewel glimmered in the dim light of the corridor.

“Son of a bitch.” Finn whispered. “The bastard’s just wearing it around?”

“There’s ego for you.” Glen said, peering through the grate. 

Finn barely heard her; it sounded as though Noir had fixed the engines just in time.  While this came as a relief, it did leave Finn in a nasty spot.

“Looks clear.” Glen said, “C’mon; let’s get out of this damn storm drain.”

“But …” Finn stopped, as Glen had already yanked out the vent cover and was shimmying through the hole.  Sighing, he waited for her to pull herself through.

“Don’t follow her.”

Finn nearly jumped at Hikari’s voice.  “The hell?” He whispered, hoping Glen couldn’t hear him.  “You forget about me or something?”

“I’ve been busy.  Finn, don’t follow that woman.”

Something in Hikari’s voice gave Finn pause.  “Why not?  She did help me escape.”

“I am aware.”

Finn frowned at her tone.  “Look, if you can’t give me a better reason-“

“Doesn’t something about her strike you as a bit off?  I mean, how did she even get here in the first place?  You saw the border patrol; how does someone just pass through that?”

“We did.”

“We got lucky.”

Finn’s eyes widened.  Before he could say anything, however, Glen poked her head through the vent.

“Hey.” She said, her hair nearly brushing the floor.  “Who you talking to?”

“Don’t tell her.” Hikari said instantly.

“Don’t tell her what?” Glen asked, her eyes narrowing.  “You got a problem with me, Miss?”

Hikari didn’t respond.  Finn wasn’t sure how Glen could hear Hikari, but somehow it didn’t strike him as strange.  Well, stranger than anything else about his new compatriot.

Glen rolled her eyes.  “Whatever.  Look, if you don’t want my help, I’ll leave.”

She stepped away from the vent. 

“Glen!  Glen, wait!” Finn hurriedly climbed out after her only to find her leaning against a nearby wall.

“Please don’t go.” Finn told her.  “’Cause I gotta be honest here; I haven’t the foggiest how I’m going to get my hands on the Blood of the Krogan. Even then, I don’t know for certain I kind find my way back afterwards. I need your help.”

She regarded him with a serious expression. “Look, I’ll make this straight for ya; help me, and I’ll help you.  I won’t turn on ya or abandon ya, you’ve got my word.  Deal?”

She spat into her hand and held it out expectantly.  With some reluctance, Finn took it and gave it a good shake.

Beaming, she slapped him on the back and said, “Good.  Now, let’s go get your shiny.  You got a plan?”

“Not really.” Finn confessed.  “I suppose we might be able to distract the guards and steal the gem in the confusion, but we don’t have an escape plan.  I’m not even sure where the Meridia even is anymore.”

“Hmm.” Glen ran her fingers over her chin thoughtfully. “I might be able to help with that.  We’d have to find my thing first, though, and there’s no telling how long that will take.”

Finn was about to suggest that they secure the missing part before attempting to steal the gem when his internal comm activated and a welcome voice asked, “Finn, are you there?”

“Jake?” Finn asked, impulsively holding a hand to the side of his head. “Jake, is that you?”

There was a brief pause before the reply. “Yeah, it’s me!  It’s good to hear your voice, bro.”

“Yeah, sorry about the delay; it took a while to cut through the interference.”

“Bet Hikari loved that.” Finn said with a grin, “Glad to hear you managed to get away. Let Scarlet know that we’ve located the Blood of the Krogan.”

 “Whoa, really?  That’s awesome!  You’ve already got it?”

“Not yet.” Finn confessed.  “We’re working on it. Listen, where are you?”

“It’s, uh, hard to explain. The krogans shouldn’t detect us, but we don’t want to make a move until we have to.”

“Well, I think we can get the Blood of the Krogan, but we’re gonna need a pickup pretty damn quick.”

“You got it!  Just ping me when you need the rescue and we’ll come running!”

As Finn lowered his hand, Glen commented, “Thank the Creator for that, eh? I gotta ask, though …”

“Ask what?” Finn said.

She gave him a questioning look.  “Finn and Jake?”

“Yeah.  Jake’s my … well, I think of him as my brother, but he’s a-“

“A dog, right?”

“Er, right.  How did you know that?”

“Lucky guess.”  Chuckling, Glen gestured down the hallway.  “Well, let’s go steal us a gem!”

 


	18. Blending In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FInding the Blood of the Krogan was one thing; stealing it from the paranoid despot of Tuchanka was another matter altogether.

It was a throne room. There was no better way to describe it. Yes, the throne was merely roughly cut stone blocks, and the room clearly hadn’t seen any sort of custodian service for a considerable amount of time, but the layout combined with the retinue of krogan standing guard made it clear that this was the throne room of the Primarch Jorgal … at least until his dreams of a palace befitting him in the old krogan ruins was realized.

“Seventeen, eighteen …” Glen shook her head. “Twenty krogan guards visible.”

“Visible?”

“Yeah. About ten more probably watching. Damn; and here I thought it was gonna be easy pickings.”

Finn stopped himself from letting out a chuckle. Glen’s voice was coming through his internal comm. While convenient, he still didn’t understand how everyone was able to tune in to his implanted receiver; it was supposed to only work for him and Jake.

“I know. Hackers, am I right?” Glen grinned at Finn, her pearly white teeth practically gleaming in the darkness.

They stared at the room for a few more moments before Glen tapped Finn on the shoulder and motioned for him to follow. Once a few corridors away, she let out her breath.

“Okay,” She said, rubbing her hands together, “Brainstorming session; go.”

“Uh … well, a frontal assault is out of the question.” Finn said, rubbing the back of his head. “Even if we could somehow drop thirty krogan, we’d never do it before backup arrived.”

“Check.” Glen said, drawing a curious look from Finn. “What?”

“Nothing.” He told her.“You just reminded me of Jake, that’s all.”

“This would be Jake the Dog? Say, is he in the loop right now?”

“No, it’s just us. Want me to contact him?”

“Nah, it sounds like they have their hands full over there already.” Glen tapped her thumb against her bottom lip. “Where were we? Right; frontal assault is out. Can’t see the sneaky approach working either; they’ve got every angle covered, and I’m pretty sure the Primarch would notice us messing with his crown.”

“Check. Maybe he’ll take it off at some point?”

Glen let out a laugh. “He’s preening on a throne, Finn. He probably wears that thing to bed at this point.”

With a sigh, Finn said, “Check. I suppose just grabbing it and running is still the best option, but we need to at least get rid of some of his entourage.”

“Check.” Glen said. “Hallucinogens? Smoke Bombs? Sleeping gas?”

“Do you have any of those?” Finn asked curiously.

Glen patted her pockets for a few moments before producing a small corked vial of pink dust. “Pollen from sleep dusters. It’s worked on everything I’ve ever used it on. Mind you, that was a galaxy away.”

Finn looked at the tiny bottle. “Is there enough for this group?”

“It only takes a little.The problem is getting it to them all.” She straightened, her eyes on the far side of the corridor. “Someone’s coming!”

Finn stopped her before she could hurry down an adjoining corridor. “Hang on; listen. Do you hear that?”

She stopped and listened until she picked it up too; it was the sound of alarmingly familiar singing.

“I’d recognize that noise anywhere. It’s that krogan again.” Glen said, “Tuck, wasn’t it?”

They watched from the shadows of the side corridor as thekrogan cook pushed a trolley with a massive pot of what smelled to Finn like the krogan’s stew, along with a large stack of metal bowls. It smelled quite good, reminding Finn again of just how long it had been since he had eaten a full meal.

As he passed, Glen grabbed Finn’s arm. “That’s it!”

“That’s what?”

“He’s heading toward the throne room. Quick, distract him!”

“What?!”

Glen shoved him forward. The sound of his clumsy steps hitting the stone made Tuck turn his head.

“Wha … Oh! It’s you!” Tuck clamped a hand on Finn’s shoulder and gave him a grin that was far from reassuring. “And just what are you doing here?”

“I … er, was hungry.”

“What?” The krogan stared at Finn for a few moments before letting out a booming laugh. “Ha! Escaped my kitchen, but couldn’t escape the flavor, eh?”

Finn forced a chuckle and shrugged. “What can I say? It was good.”

“Damn right it’s good!” He chuckled a few moments more before turning his eyes back on Finn. “Y’know, this is a bad place for you to be wandering around.If the Primarch’s men catch you snooping here, they’re likely snap your neck like a twig.”

He let out another laugh and clapped Finn on the shoulder again. Finn chuckled along with the krogan uneasily.

“Well, tell you what; you came back, so no harm done, eh? Here!” He stepped aside and motioned for me to push the cart. “You can be the assistant who was supposed to meet me outside. Wheel this along, and I’ll make sure you get a bowl too, eh?”

Chest puffed out with pride, Tuck continued walking toward the throne room. Finn followed, his legs straining to push the heavy trolley fast enough to keep up. He glanced around for Glen, but saw no sign of his mysterious companion.

Eventually, they reached the throne room. The krogan guards moved to block their way immediately, only for Tuck to push his way through them. “Ease off; I’m bringing dinner.”

This announcement was well received by the rest of the throne room … well, most of it. The eager looks on the faces of the krogan guards could’ve served as an indicator of just how far the tantalizing scent of the stew was travelling through the throne room, but Primarch Jorgal regarded him with a grim expression that didn’t so much as flicker. Tuck motioned for Finn to follow before striding forward. Muscles feeling like they were about to snap like rubber bands, Finn pushed the trolley until they reached the throne.

“Who is this?” Primarch Jorgal asked, gesturing at Finn.

“Hmm? Oh, you mean my assistant, Eggars?” Tuck slapped Finn on the back again, nearly making him fall over. “Every chef needs a reliable assistant.”

“Eggars.” Primarch Jorgal repeated, his eyes boring into Finn.

Feeling it best to play respectful, Finn gave the Primarch a deep bow and said, “Yes sir! Eggars Crumb, if it please your majesty.”

“Your Majesty?” Primarch Jorgal said, as though tasting the title.“Yes, I could deal with that. Now what swill have you brought me today?”

“Not swill; stew.” Tuck slapped a hand on the rim of the pot. “The Tuck Special! Sirloin thresher stew spiced to perfection.”

“I see.” The Primarch rose and approached the pot. He lifted out the ladle and stared at the contents for a moment.“What are these white things?”

“Potatoes.” Tuck supplied. “A rare and difficult to obtain vegetable that originated on Earth.”

“I see. And what are the little green specs?”

“Cilantro. Gives it a nice fresh taste.”

The Primarch gave a disgusted snort. “So this is what Wrex spent thousands of credits on you for, huh? Meaty water and plants?”

Tuck’s smile seemed to freeze. “Huh.No appreciation for fine dining, huh? Come on, Eggars! His Majesty would obviously prefer the carcasses of a few varren to my masterpiece.”

The Primarch’s eyes narrowed at the way Tuck said ‘His majesty’. He waved at one of his guards, who shoved Finn away from the trolley.

Leaning forward, Primarch Jorgal said, “You’d better hope I like your stew more than your attitude, cook.”

The guard swirled the ladle around in the pot before pouring some into one of the metal bowls. He handed it over to the Primarch, who looked into the bowl for a few moments. Without warning, he stood up and approached Finn.

“Here, Crumb!” He shoved the bowl against Finn’s chest, splashing a considerable portion onto Finn’s shirt. “You try it first!”

Finn had rather suspected something like this would happen; after all, ego and paranoia often went hand in hand. Still, he wasn’t worried; he had already eaten some of the stew. Heck, he actually liked the idea of having some more; he was hungry.

Shrugging, Finn grabbed a crude spoon from the trolley and ate a bite of Tuck’s stew. As before, it was delicious; the meat was tender, the vegetables perfectly cooked, and the cilantro did indeed give it a sort of fresh finish.

Realizing that all eyes in the room were on him, he said, “It’s quite good.”

“We’ll see.” Primarch Jorgal said, eyes narrowed to slits. “I’ve heard of delayed poisons, you know. Finish the bowl.”

Shrugging, Finn continued to eat the stew. When he was done, he raised the emptied bowl for everyone to see. “All done.”

The Primarch’s eyes widened in legitimate surprise.Still looking suspicious, he motioned for the guard to get him a bowl. After sniffing it for a bit, Primarch Jorgal grabbed the bowl with both hands and poured the contents down his throat. What didn’t make it down his gaping maw splashed on the krogan’s lap.

Lowering the bowl, Primarch Jorgal let out a massive belch that echoed through the room. Tuck wrung his hands nervously for a few moments, waiting for the verdict.

“Not bad.” The Primarch admitted, the bits of stew dripping down his face belaying the mildness of the response.

From the satisfied look on Tuck’s face, this was even more than he expected. Producing another ladle, he said, “Well, in that case, everyone dig in!”

Finn and Tuck proceeded to ladle out the stew into bowls that were passed around the room with only a few arguments (which Finn suspected was the norm anyway). The Primarch had reached his fourth bowl by the time the last of the guards had been served. With a final bow (and a quick glance at the Blood of the Krogan), Finn and Tuck moved toward the entrance.

“Here you go.” Tuck whispered to Finn, handing him one of the last two bowls. “Might as well help me finish this batch before we head back.”

“Thanks.” Finn said, trying to ignore the  slurping of the rest of the krogan. “Guess table manners will come later, huh?”

“Baby steps, Finn.” Tuck said with a chuckle.

As Tuck ate his own bowl with a spoon (a sight Finn would later describe as noteworthy), Finn wondered as to the whereabouts of Glen. He half-expected the Blood of the Krogan to suddenly be missing, taken in an act of incredible stealth while the guards were focused on food.

Shaking his head, Finn took a bite of his stew. As one of the last bowls, it was very spicy, and was mostly a slurry of vegetables and meat with a few bits large enough to need chewing. As Finn chewed, however, his teeth found one such lump that was strangely resistant. He swallowed the rest of the stew and moved the offending object to his lips. He stared at the object uncomprehendingly for a few moments before Primarch Jorgel hit the ground, several of the other guards following suite.

Confusion showed on the faces of the rest of the guards as they all gradually fell to the ground, unconscious. Tuck looked around in horror before his eyes fell on Finn. “Wait …” He said, staggering forward. “You … you really drugged … the …”

Tuck hit the ground snoring, his bowl clattering to the floor beside his head as Finn finally recognized the object he was holding; it was a cork. Looking down into his bowl, he spotted the small vial almost immediately. Drowsiness began to sweep over him almost as fast as the realization of what had occurred.

Realizing he didn’t have much time, he moved with increasingly erratic steps to the fallen Primarch. He could hear someone calling him, but it sounded distant, as though through a tunnel.

He tugged at the Blood of the Krogan for a few moments, but it was set fast in the crown. He managed to get it off Primarch Jorgel, but the weight of the crown coupled with his ever-increasing lethargy made it impossible to hold. He collapsed to the floor a moment later.

“Ugh … Finn!” Said Glen, her face appearing in Finn’s view. “You just had to go back for seconds!”


	19. Death from Above

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Glen make a break for it with the Blood of the Krogan in tow. Unfortunately, their little heist hasn't gone unnoticed.

After a strange dream where he was riding a giant Jake through a sea of stew, little schools of krogan leaping out of the water in pursuit like a very strange-looking pod of dolphins, Finn awoke to find himself staring down at asphalt occasionally broken by deep cracks. The rhythmic movement tugged at his mind until he realized he was slung over Glen’s shoulder as she walked down the abandoned road, the mountain ruin not far ahead of them.

“I’m up!” He said groggily, prompting her to start for just a moment.

“Thank God!” She dropped him and promptly collapsed to the ground. “Headache ran out of power about five minutes ago, and you’re too heavy to carry on the run.”

“Sorry.” Finn froze halfway to standing as the last few moments prior to his nap flashed through his mind. “Glen, the Primarch’s headpiece.Tell me you got the-”

“Damn straight, I did.” Glen pulled the red jewel out of a compartment on her arm-machines.

A feeling of numbness fell over Finn as she handed him the jewel.It was beautiful; a glimmering red orb that caught the light even through Tuchanka’s thick cloud cover. Peering into the crystal, he could just make out the shape of an old medallion, itself barely larger than a quarter.

“The Blood of the Krogan.” Finn said, a smile spreading over his face. “We did it!”

“Well I’ll be!” Hikari’s voice made Finn jump. “We actually got the damn thing!”

“We?” Glen asked, hands on her hips, “We didn’t do jack. Finn and I got your jewel miss.”

“A technicality.” Hikari’s voice said smoothly. “I was there in spirit.”

“Of course you were.” Glen sighed and looked at Finn. “So now what?”

“Now we reunite with the others and find the Vault of One … then I can get back to saving the whole galaxy thing.” Finn considered what he had just said before letting out a sigh. “I need a vacation.”

“You and me both.” Glen said, holding out her fist for Finn to bump.

As he did so, Hikari said, “I’d suggest you keep moving; when the krogan find out you’ve stolen the jewel-“

“Relax.” Glen said, cutting her off. “I replaced the Blood of the Krogan with a fake gem.”

“A fake gem?” Finn asked. “You just happened to have a fake ruby lying around?”

Glen winced. “Not exactly.Let’s just say I’m good at improvising and leave it at that.”

That seemed a bit odd, but Finn decided he’d rather not know. “Hikari, let me talk to Jake.”

“Why?” Hikari asked, sounding suspicious.

“I need to let him know we’re ready for pickup, and he’s my only link to the Meridia now that they’re in orbit.”

“What!? That’s not possible!”

Finn exchanged glances with Glen. There was clear surprise in Hikari’s voice, all the stranger for its inexplicable presence in the conversation. In truth, however, hearing her surprise brought a feeling of satisfaction to Finn.

“Finn, the Meridia-“

She was cut off in mid-sentence. After a few moments, Jake’s voice came over Finn’s internal comm. “Is it …it’s on? Awesome. Hey, Finn! Can you hear me?”

 Worry began to fill Finn. While he felt some satisfaction at Hikari inadvertently confirming his suspicions, that satisfaction was fading with the knowledge that their situation was likely about to get much more complicated.

“Finn? C’mon, man, the jammer’s on and everything. You gotta be able to hear me.”

“I hear you, Jake.” Finn said.

“Awesome! We were able to listen in on Hikari’s frequency; you really got the Blood of the Krogan?”

Seeing no use at the point in denying it, Finn said, “Sure did. My new buddy helped snag it without too much trouble.”

“Really? Awesome! I’ll let everyone know! Send me your coordinates, and we’ll pick you up!”

Now that he had been listening for it, he could tell something wasn’t quite right. Something about the way Jake spoke seemed off. It might have just been his voice box acting up, or maybe …

Glen looked at Finn strangely when he replied, “Bad idea; we’re too close to the capital. We’re gonna try to get a little distance first. I’ll call you when we’re ready.”

“But Finn-“

“No time.” Finn said, “Look, I’ll contact you the instant we’re in a good place. Say, is Kyra still helping Noir?”

Finn unconsciously held his breath until he heard Jake say, “Yeah, man. Just trying to get as much fixed on this tub for our getaway.”

The satisfaction of a suspicion proved true filled Finn. “Okay. Send my love, would you?”

 “Sure thing, Finn. Just … hurry up, okay?”

“I will. Just to be safe, radio silence until then, okay?”

“Sure thing.”

When Glen looked at Finn questioningly, he just shook his head. “Okay, Jake. We’re on the way.”

After a brief crackle of static, Finn said, “We’ve got a problem.”

“I don’t understand.” Glen said. “What just happened?”

“Apparently everybody’s able to hack into my comm these days.” Finn said, feeling a little annoyed at the idea. “Whoever was pretending to be Jake has just blocked out Hikari. This wouldn’t be so big a problem if she wasn’t on the Meridia.”

“Ah, I see.” They walked in silence for a few moments before Glen suddenly stopped and said, “Wait, wait, wait! Someone’s pretending to be Jake? And what was that about Hikari being on the Meridia? Isn’t she part of some other gang of thieves?”

“Kyra wasn’t on the Meridia.” Finn said, “She’s on the Ulasomorf back on Ilium. As for Hikari … well, I’ve noticed a lot of little things. I might be wrong, but it’d be one hell of a coincidence.”

“But wait, if someone’s using your intercom to imitate Jake, they could trace the signal.”

“Oh, yes.” Finn said. “They’re probably on the way. Fortunately, they probably don’t have a firm lock on us, which is why they wanted our position. We’re safe … well, safe-ish at the-”

Without warning, Glen flung herself at Finn, knocking him to the ground. A high-caliber bullet flew through the air Finn's head had previously occupied before hitting the ground with enough force to blast a sizeable hole in the asphalt. Glen and Finn quickly scrambled over a fallen pylon and ducked down as another bullet flew through the air, leaving a hole the size of a baseball in an old metal sign.

"Friend of yours?" Glen asked as they searched for the sniper.

"I do seem to have a way with people.” Finn’s eyes caught a slim figure in the distance. “There! On top of the capital building.”

Glen risked a quick glance. “Definitely not a krogan. They don’t strike me as the sniper sort anyway.”

Another shot blasted a chunk of concrete from the pylon, prompting Finn to duck for cover again. "It looks human, or humanoid, not that it helps. I can't see the Blue Suns or Eclipse hating me enough to risk pissing off all of Tuchanka. It might be Cerberus, but again, why waste time on me? Why not go after the Ulasomorf or the Normandy or anything else?"

"Maybe they want you to lead them to your secret base?" Glen mused.

Finn shook his head. "You don’t send a sniper to kidnap someone.”

“After the League of One Treasure?”

“I don’t think they have funding issues.”

Another shot pierced the pylon directly between Finn and Glen and buried itself in the ground a few feet away.

Finn and Glen traded glances as they realized their cover wasn’t going to last much longer.

“So,” Glen said, “You have a plan, or should I …?”

“By all means.” Finn told her.

Nodding, Glen stood up, raised her arms and opened fire. Even with the distance between them, Finn could clearly see the sniper duck down to avoid the thick rivets firing from the strange arm-gauntlets Glen referred to as Headache.

“Nice shooting.” Finn said, patting Glen on the shoulder. “Now we run?”

“Mind reader, that’s what you are. C’mon!”

They didn’t make it far before the sniper recovered. When the bullets started to hit the ground in front of them, Glen said, “Sorry!”

“For wha … hey!”

Glen picked up Finn and slung him over her shoulder with a grunt.From his new vantage point, Finn got a good view of her metal boots flaring to life. She didn’t run; her movement was more like that of someone wearing inline roller skates, only much faster. The sniper took a few more shots, but Glen’s movements made them a difficult target to anticipate.

The sniper was following them on a flying vehicle that vaguely reminded Finn of an old Earth motorcycle, only without the wheels. Easily evading the ruins of the highway, the sniper continued firing as she pursued Finn and Glen. Two other chasers joined her moments later, these merely hovering over the highway. The riders appeared to be wearing the same dark gray uniform, leading Finn to wonder if they were part of the group that had imitated Jake.

The roads near the mountain ruins were in better repair, no doubt having benefited from the rebuilding effort. While this meant there were less obstacles to give Glen and Finn cover, it was good for speed; Glen leaned forward, her speed increasing exponentially as blue light flared from the soles of her boots, leaving a trail in her wake.

 Finn drew his old Carnifex with some difficulty and took a few shots at their pursuers. He missed of course; he could barely hit a target in the best of circumstances. Still, it was enough to make the nearest riders back off slightly and give Finn and Glen some breathing room. It wouldn’t last forever, though; the carnifex’s heat sink was almost depleted, and the riders were starting to approach again.

As he struggled to slide another heat sink into his pistol, Finn saw the sniper take aim directly at him. There was no cover in sight and no time to warn Glen. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl, and he found his perception unusually heightened; the sniper was an asari. Inexplicably, Finn could see the blue skin of her neck where her helmet didn’t quite meet the redleather of her jacket.

Purple filled Finn’s vision as a small ship swerved from beneath the elevated highway and flew straight toward the chasers. The riders went in all directions, especially the sniper, who didn’t have time to get out of the way.

“Nice!” Glen called out as the remaining chasers didn’t continue their pursuit. “Nice to know we have friends.”

“Yeah, friends.” Finn stared at the purple ship as best he could. He couldn’t say he was surprised when he saw it grow larger in his vision.

“Don’t want to alarm you.” Finn told her, “But I think our friends want a word.”

“Yeah, that’s about right. Any idea who they might be?”

“Not a clue.” Finn lied. He recognized the symbol on the front of the ship only too well.

 “Glen hazarded a glance back. After a moment her eyes went wide. Without a word, she started running even faster. Glen glanced up at the purple vehicle; it was still a good distance away, but he could just make out someone leaning out of the side window holding a rather bulky-looking weapon.

“Rocket launcher.” Glen said, fear in her voice. Finn couldn’t blame her; it wouldn’t take a sniper’s eye to cause a problem with a weapon like that. Even as his fear grew, however, Finn realized that he recognized the weapon, specifically the massive subwoofer speaker. “It’s not a rocket launcher.”

“What? Well, what is it then?”

Unearthly loud dubstep flooded the air moments later. Glen didn’t have time to react to the sudden music, however; the ground in front of Glen broke apart as though caught in an earthquake. Sparks scraping from her boots, Glen swerved just in time to avoid the glowing blasts of music-charged energy that were quickly tearing the highway to shreds. Finn tried to shout over the thunderously loud music to no avail. After a while, he gave up and held his hands over his ears, trying desperately to block out the deafening dubstep.

They were near the mountain now, and heading quickly toward the warehouse that housed Tuck and his kitchen. As they drew near, Glen took a flying leap off the highway and flew toward the same vent they earlier used to escape the warehouse.

The ship couldn’t follow through the narrow opening, but that didn’t stop Finn and Glen from running until they had put some distance between them and their pursuers.

“Thank God for that.” Glen said as they climbed out of the vent just outside Tuck’s kitchen. “My eardrums are still ringing. What kind of weapon was that, anyway?”

“Dubstep gun.” Finn told her. “Weaponized music. I guess the bass vibrations didn’t go with the old road that well. Still, it’s not usually fatal; they probably weren’t out to kill us.”

“Very relieving.” Glen said dryly. “And who exactly are they?”

“Not sure. Anyone could build one with enough creativity and intelligence.” He let out a chuckle. “That said, I haven’t seen one since-“

“-since Steelport?” Asked a deep voice with a thick Australian accent.

Finn looked up to see an Asian woman. She gave him a crooked grin before hefting her weapon and firing something at him. Finn caught a glimpse of something small, pink, and tentacled before the object hit him in the face and turned his world black.

%MCEPASTEBIN%


	20. Divinity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn has a reunion with his old friend, the Boss, before finally finding out where the Meridia is parked.

When Finn’s awareness returned, he found himself in Tuck’s kitchen, his hands once again bound, this time behind his back. He couldn’t help but let out a sigh of resignation at waking up bound.

“I didn’t miss this part of my adventures.” He said, more to break the silence than anything.

“Me either.” Glen’s voice replied. “You back to normal?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t remember attacking me after they hit you with that mini-octopus?”

Finn closed his eyes and tried to think back to his last waking moments. “Were there dancing monkeys?”

“Nope.”

“Then I’ve got nothing.” After a momentary pause, he said, “Sorry.”

“Bah, that’s all right; I could tell you weren’t exactly in control. Still, it was enough for them to get the drop on me. Finn, they have the Blood of the Krogan.”

“Of course they do.” Finn sighed. “I shoulda seen it coming.”

“Seen what?” Glen asked.

“Incoming trouble. Much easier to camp out and wait for someone else to steal the gem than to take it straight from the Primarch. Probably what that sniper and her friends were doing; still no idea who that could be.”

A deep voice said, “I can help you there, mate.”

Finn watched as the woman who had shot him walked into his view. Her face wasn’t familiar, but her voice brought with it the past, always a shaky area for Finn.

 “You feelin’ better?” The woman asked, her voice deep, accented, and masculine.

“Not so much.” Finn muttered, drawing another laugh from the woman.

“Aw, now don’t feel too bad there, Cresste; did a hell of a job gettin’ your hands on this.” She held up the Blood of the Krogan meaningfully.

“Dude, what the hell’s up with your voice?” Glen asked.

The woman glanced at Glen, a faint hint of annoyance on her face. “Long story. Betrayals, explosions, an old friend with a weird-ass sense of humor, and voila. Mind you, it’s given me a hell of an insight into the fairer sex ... and a whole new appreciation for moist towelettes.”

That clenched it. Finn stared at the woman and said, “Holy hell.”

“Ah, there it is.” The woman grinned at him. “I won’t get offended that you didn’t remember me, mate. Decades ago, it was; still, you know what they say; you can take the Saint out of Stillwater-”

“-but you can’t take the Stillwater out of the Saint.” Finn finished, feeling dazed. “It really is you, isn’t it?”

The woman spread her arms with another laugh. “In the flesh, more or less. To be fair, you’re not the fresh-faced little runner you were back then either.”

“Uh, time out.” Glen said, drawing looks from Finn and the woman. “Just who are you?”

“Me?” The woman asked, crossing her arms. “I’ve got a bunch of names. The Kid, the Chief … I was always partial to, ‘STOP THAT PUNK!’. My favorite though, and the name Finn probably remembers is the-”

“Boss!”

The Boss turned as the door to Tuck’s larder opened, revealing a cyborg with a flat top and sunglasses. “Kinsie’s picking up a lotta chatter on the krogan channel. Looks like our friend from the Council’s causing a ruckus.” He paused and nodded at Finn. “Hey, Finn.”

“Hey, Johnnie.” Finn said, his voice resigned.

“The good Councilor is probably putting up a fight.” Glancing at Finn, the Boss added, “Spectres are such assholes, aren’t they? You don’t suppose Gabriella’s down there, do you?”

“Wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.” Finn said.

The Boss laughed appreciatively. “Never a dull moment, eh? Well, the fuss they’re creating will give us time to finish up here.” He glanced at his friend. “Hey, Johnnie, give me a sec with our old friend, eh?”

“Sure thing, boss. Later, Finn.”

A moment of silence passed before Finn asked the obvious question. “So what now?”

“Now I leave. Don’t worry, though; I ain’t leaving you here to the tender mercies of the krogan or our asari friends.” The Boss picked up one of Tuck’s knives. Finn tensed as he drew near, only to lay the knife on Finn’s lap. “You’re a bright lad. I figure it’ll take you a few minutes to cut yourself out of that, plenty of time for me and Johnnie to be well on our way.”

With that, The Boss headed for the larder. She paused before closing the door to add, “Oh, by the way, there’s still a place for you with the Saints, if you get tired of the whole saving the universe schtick. Something to think about, eh?”

With that, she was gone.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Glen asked, “So, an old friend of yours, huh?”

“Something like that.”

“The Saints, huh? That wouldn’t be the Third Street Saints, would it?”

“The same.”

“And you used to be a Saint?”

Finn let out a sigh. “I used to run an old chaser I fixed up to run packages for them.”

“Really?” Glen said, a surprised look on her face. “You didn’t strike me as the type.”

That struck a nerve. “Look, my Mom was practically catatonic, okay? The money dad left us dried up, and someone had to pay the bills! All the Saints asked me to do was drop off the occasional package.”

“Hey!” Glen said, raising her hands. “I’m not passing judgment! Just trying to get all the facts here.”

“I didn’t regret it then, and I don’t regret it now.” Finn paused and looked at Glen with bewilderment. “Your hands were free the whole time?”

A grin slid across Glen’s face as she picked up the knife and deftly cut Finn’s bonds. “Just as trick I taught myself after running into this situation over and over again. If you like that, wait till you see this.”

She pulled a large red jewel out of her pocket and tossed it to Finn, a satisfied smirk on her face. “Switched it out while your friend was talking to you.”

“Nice! You had another fake gem?” Finn asked, catching the gem in mid-air.

Glen’s grin faded. “Er, no, just the one. Finn, I think I might have made a little boo-boo back there with Primarch Jorgal.”

“A boo-boo?”

“Look, you were asleep, the krogan were starting to stir, and I didn’t have much time, okay? I made the jewel, but in all the hustle, I think I accidentally replaced it with something else, something that’s probably not quite an identical match.”

“Such as?” Finn asked.

“Probably nothing to worry about.” Glen said quickly, patting Finn on the arm.“C’mon! We should get moving.”

She took a few steps toward the door before spinning right back around and walking back to Finn.“Uh, where are we going?”

“I don’t know.” Finn admitted. “We can’t contact the Hikari or Jake without tipping off whoever’s been listening in, and we still don’t know where the Meridia is.”

“Could they be in orbit?” Glen asked.

“I dunno.” Finn said, “We took a lot of damage in the crash. I was honestly surprised when fake-Jake mentioned they had the energy to take off.”

Finn stopped, his mouth going slack.“My god. Is it that simple?”

“Is what that simple?” Asked Glen.

His eyes alight, Finn said, “I think I know where the Merida is. Come on!”

Progress through the ruins was slow, what with the lack of light and the possibility of running into searching krogan. Still, Finn was able to use his omni-tool to eventually find the place where he had landed after falling through the ruins. Finding their way back to the top took a while, but from there, it didn’t take long to follow the path he Violet and Azure had taken through the tunnels. They continued to move cautiously, freezing at the sound of distant footprints. They never saw any krogan, but neither was about to take any chances.

About two hours after their encounter with the Boss, Finn and Glen emerged from the labyrinthine passages into the large chamber where the Meridia had crashed. As Finn suspected, the Merida was right where it had been upon his departure.

As they drew near, however, Finn realized there was no one waiting to greet them.He scanned the inside of the bay as best he could through the open ramp, but there was no sign of anyone.“Glen; you got scanners on those arm things?”

“Headache? Yeah, limited scanners.”

“Mind doing a quick life scan of the Meridia?”

She slowed to a fast walk and put a finger to her temple. Holographic lines zoomed around her head, creating a glowing circlet that covered her eyes. After staring at the Merida for a moment, she said, “Three life-signs on board, but they’re not human.”

“Where are they?”

“Two are just up the ramp. Looks like they’re standing guard. The third is at the front, the bridge I’m guessing. Like I said, though, no humans.”

“None?” Finn asked, his heart falling.

“Nope. From what I can tell, it’s more of those turtle-buggers.”

“Damn.” Finn said, “I was hoping Tuck was lying about that.”

“So what now?” Glen asked.

Shrugging, Finn said, “We go back to the Meridia, and try to figure out what happened.You said you can see where they are?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Tapping the side of her head, she said, “Stream flux sensor. One’s behind that battered wardrobe, the other’s hiding behind that stack of crates. You thinking about trying to get the drop on them?”

“You read my mind.”

“There’s no fur on my ears, Finn.”

Finn glanced at Glen, who let out a chuckle.“Long story, man. Don’t mind telling it either, but now’s probably not the good time. I call shotgun on the one cowering behind the wardrobe.”

“I’ve never seen a krogan cower.” Finn said.

“Good. Life should be full of new experiences.”

 

The two krogan stuck with guard duty were well-seasoned warriors. While there hadn’t been a real war in centuries, their old drill sergeant had told them on many occasions that life on Tuchanka was a constant battle, and these two had seen quite a bit of the battlefield. Jorgal was just the latest in attempts to overthrow the Primarch Urdnot, some were traditionalists who wanted to go back to the days when krogan were feared across the galaxy, while others were just nutjobs out to pick a fight with one or more of the Council races.

Still, it had been awhile since anything had happened requiring grizzled veterans like either of them, which is how they ended up working with Battlemaster Schin T’luuc, a pompous krogan barely out of adolescence who had studied all the great battlemasters and quoted them like some pompous salarian scientist. It made both of their plates itch to have to follow his orders, but the upstart was actually pretty cunning.

After they accidentally came across the Meridia, T’luuc’s assault on the strange asari vessel filled with quarians had been swift, decisive, and bloodless … well, mostly bloodless. While he had earned some grudging respect for his planning, both of the grunts couldn’t help but laugh at the look of shock on their commander’s bloody face after he grabbed the little quarian in the orange suit and incurred the wrath of the quarian in the blue suit. It took both of them to pull her away and secure her with the others.

Now they stood in the cargo bay, waiting for the arrival of possible stragglers. Neither guard particularly expected to find anyone, which is why the arrival of a lone human male surprised them both. Their surprise didn’t last long; the krogan by the wardrobe motioned his partner to get into position. With a nod, his partner hunkered down and crept around the stack of crates, careful to keep the crates between himself and the human.

The human walked into the hold, completely oblivious to the krogan guards. “Noir? Jake? Anyone?”

He stopped beside the wardrobe and put his hands on his hips. “Where the hell is everyone?”

The krogan behind the crates waited for his partner to crash through the flimsy wood of the wardrobe and apprehend the human. He clenched his rifle in anticipation, hoping that this human would put up more of a fight than the quarians.

Someone tapped the krogan’s shoulder. He turned to see a human woman with a lopsided grin and metal arms.

“Heya, handsome!” She said before planting one metal fist into his face. The force of the punch sent the krogan flying across the docking bay. As the krogan beside the wardrobe moved to intercept Glen, Finn shoved the wardrobe onto the surprised krogan, knocking him to the ground.

Finn kept his distance from the fallen wardrobe, and a good thing too; with a roar, the krogan broke through the balsa-wood. Finn hurried toward it, scooping up an article of clothing before jumping on the krogan’s back and looping the clothing under the krogan’s jaw. The krogan staggered back as Finn pulled the straps with all his strength, hoping that it would hold long enough for the krogan to pass out. The krogan thrashed around, trying to dislodge Finn, but Finn held on with the determination of a man holding a tiger by the tail.

As Finn and the krogan staggered around the back of the hold, Glen approached the other, the krogan’s rifle in her hands. The krogan stared at the rifle wordlessly, no doubt thinking he was finished.To his surprise, Glen bent the rifle until the casing shattered and tossed it behind her back. The krogan was further surprised when she pulled off her gauntlets and tossed them aside.

She raised her now-bare fists and said, “There. Even ground, perfectly fair. Can’t ask for more than that.”

 A pleased smile crossed the krogan’s face as he raised his own fists.“Fair enough.”

Some might think krogan might be deficient in martial disciplines; their large and somewhat cumbersome frames seem ill-suited to many hand-to-hand fighting styles. For the most part, that’s a pretty fair assessment; nevertheless, speed isn’t everything, especially when a person has natural body armor and muscles that would put an eighties action movie star to shame.

That’s not to say Glen wasn’t strong, however; the thick muscles on her arms glistened with sweat as she rained blows on the krogan, occasionally taking a few hits herself with little or no reaction.

As the brawlers continued to duke it out, Finn was still holding on for dear life. The krogan’s thrashing was growing weaker, but it still took everything Finn had to maintain his hold. The krogan stomped across the hold, upsetting most of the stacks of crates and several more of Auren’s wardrobes in the process. Finally, just as the ache in Finn’s arms became more than he could manage, the krogan fell to the ground with a bone-jarring thud and was still.

Finn released his chokehold and pulled back the clothing he had used to choke the krogan. With a tired laugh, he realized it was a bra.

“And they say craftsmanship is a thing of the past.” Finn said, tossing the surprisingly sturdy undergarment aside as the unconscious krogan snored at his feet.

By the time Finn found some heavy-duty cord and tied up the recumbent krogan, Glen and the other krogan managed to break through the last of Auren’s wardrobes. As the clothes spilled out onto the floor, Finn’s eyes widened at the sight of something that wasn’t clothing. He barely had time to pick up the object before a crash brought his attention to Glen’s fight.

The fight had been an even match, but in the end, the krogan couldn’t match Glen’s speed. After blocking a few clumsy punches, Glen pulled her arm back and delivered a punch that made even Finn’s chin hurt. The krogan spun around once from the force of the blow before collapsing to the floor.

“Woo-hoo!” Glen said, pumping her now very red fists. “All hail the Intergalactic heavyweight champion!”

Grinning at Glen’s excitement, Finn opened his mouth to reply when the sound of rough clapping froze the words in his throat. They both turned toward the noise and saw Battlemaster T’luuc standing just outside the lift.

Glen ran at him without a moment’s hesitation and leapt only to be flung back by a wave of the krogan’s hand. As the biotic field faded, T’luuc said, “I’d recommend not trying that again. I gotta say, though, I never thought I’d see a couple of humans take out those two. Now just sit back and relax, and I’ll reunite you with the rest of your little friends.”

Finn flinched as the glow of biotics flared around the krogan’s arm. A sharp crackle of electricity made his eyes open wide. Battlemaster T’luuc was on the ground, a KEI-9 Unit with an all too familiar cartoon dog face standing victoriously over the body.

“Jake!” Finn said, beaming at his friend. He caught the KEI-9 unit in mid-leap and gave him a hug despite his weight.

“Finn!” Jake said, tail end wagging happily. “Ha! I told them you’d make it! What the heck happened to you anyway?”

“Long story.” Finn turned his head as Glen struggled to rise in the debris of the battle. “Uh, Jake? This is Glen. She helped me steal the Blood of the Krogan.”

Jake’s cartoon eyes went wide.“Holey Moley Beefaroni! You mean you actually got it?”

Finn pulled out the jewel and held it out for Jake to see. “I’ll tell you the whole story later. What happened here? Where are Mannon and Darsan?”

With a sigh, Jake said, “Let’s get these guys tied up first; this might take a while.”


	21. Backup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Company receive some welcome backup from the Shadow Broker.

Once the krogan were safely secured and stowed in the Meridia’s stasis compartments, Finn, Jake, and Glen went to Scarlet’s chamber and set the Blood of the Krogan into the map. As he activated the program to scan the Blood of the Krogan and add its information to the rest of the key, he filled Jake in on everything that had happened after he was separated from Violet and Azure.

“Holy Moly.” Jake breathed. “The Boss is here too, huh? Think he … er, she knows about the treasure?”

“I don’t know.” Finn said honestly. “It’s not a good idea to rule anything out when it comes to the Boss, though. Frankly, I’m more worried about this Matriarch and her private army.”

“I bet my rune they know about this secret treasure.” Glen said, rubbing her chin. “People with private armies don’t tend to go after shiny things.”

“And the Boss?” Jake asked.

“She doesn’t have an army.” Finn said, “She has a gang. I can totally see her going after this thing on a whim.”

“Yeah.” Said Jake. “You’re right there.”

The computer let out a beep and extended the Blood of the Krogan. Finn took the gem and said, “Imaging’s complete. It’s gonna take a few hours for the computer to integrate it into the key; plenty of time for us to go rescue the others.”

Turning to Jake, Finn said, “So what happened here?”

“Not much to tell.” Jake admitted. “Violet and Azure came back without you.I wanted to contact you, but Auren told me it was a bad idea. She was worried someone might be listening in … what’s so funny?”

“Nothing.” Finn said, quickly suppressing his smile. “Go on, please.”

“Mannon and Darsan slipped out to look for you. It was easy; the others were too busy arguing to notice. They were still arguing when the krogan pounced on us; Azure gave the guy I shocked a beating when he grabbed Amber, but there were just too many of them. Scarlet tried to convince them they were just weapon smugglers hoping to make a sale, but I don’t think they bought it. Fortunately, Violet managed to hide me in a vent. I managed to get the other gems, but the guy I shocked got a look at the computer with the datalog.”

The hairs on the back of Finn’s neck bristled. “Did he tell anyone?”

“Yeah, but the way he said it, I don’t think it was his government. He waited until everyone else was gone, and spoke quietly, as though afraid someone would hear him. He said the guy’s name a few time: Gaales or Ghales, it sounded like. I didn’t recognize it.”

“Me either.” Finn said. “Jake, you might as well hold on to the Blood of the Krogan as well; you’re the least likely to be searched.”

“Roger that.” Jake presented his rear compartment. Finn placed the ruby next to the other gems with care.

As his butt panel closed, Jake said, “So what’s the plan?”

“Did you hear where the others were being taken?” Glen asked.

“They said something about some kind of meeting ground. Apparently, the Primarch’s seriously pissed about something, and is looking to make an example.”

Glen and Finn traded worried glances.

“You don’t think-” Glen began.

“Oh, yes I do.” Finn said with a resigned sigh. “We need to figure out where this place is, fast. Any ideas?”

“It couldn’t be too far.” Jake said hopefully. “It was only three hours ago, and from what I heard, it sounded like the meeting was already going on.”

“So we’re looking for a few quarians. Sensors, maybe?”

“No dice.” Jake said sadly. “They’re still on the fritz from the crash. Noir hadn’t even finished fixing the engines before everyone was captured.”

“So no flying around to find them either.” Finn let out another sigh. “Which was a pretty bad idea anyway. Anything else?”

“How about our guests?” Glen asked, jerking a thumb back toward the lift. “They probably know where it is.”

Finn said, “Yeah, but they aren’t gonna tell us.”

“We could make them tell us.” Jake said.

Finn met his gaze.“Really? You think you could torture it out of them?Or you, Glen?”

Glen and Jake traded glances. Glen’s cheeks went red as Jake’s cartoon face looked distinctly embarrassed.

“Me either.” Finn told them, clapping a hand on Glen’s shoulder and another on the top of Jake’s monitor. “About the only thing we can do is try to find it ourselves. Maybe we can somehow trace the-“

A loud claxon rang through the air, courtesy of the intruder alarm Finn had reactivated.

“Company.” Finn said, rising to his feet. He waved his omni-tool over the computer, linking them so he could keep abreast of the analysis of the key. Nodding at the others, he hurried to the lift.

 

The moment the lift doors opened, a stunning blast of energy shot through the doors and hit the back of the tube. Jake leapt through the opening at the person who fired, knocking them to the ground. Seeing two dark shapes moving toward his little brother, Finn dropped from the vent and tackled the nearest assailant to the ground.

After hearing a pained feminine grunt, Finn looked at his assailant and found a pair of luminescent eyes locked with his.“Kyra?”

Taking advantage of his surprise, she managed to roll him onto his back so she was now pinning him to the floor. Before he could get out a word, she pulled him into a long and passionate kiss, cradling his head in her hands.

“Wow.” Finn heard Glen say.“That’s a … different way to take someone out.”

Finn and Kyra looked at Glen, who had Eri in a headlock. She glanced at Eri for a moment before asking, “You know this guy?”

“Yeah.”

“A friend?”

“Yeah.”

“You want to kiss him too?”

“Not particularly. No offense, Eri.”

“None taken.” He said, his voice slightly choked.

Glen let him go and rubbed the back of her head. “Er, sorry about that, buddy. I’m new.”

“Finn.” Kyra said, her eyes again on Finn’s. “Who is this?”

“Oh! Call me Glen.” Glen said, extending a metal hand before seeming to realize it wasn’t as friendly a gesture as she probably intended.“Er, sorry; yeah, Finn helped me out of a bit of a scrape earlier. Nice fella you’ve got here.”

“Yes, he is.” Kyra said, her grip on Finn tightening.

Glen laughed. “Easy there; you’ve nothing to worry about from me. I’ve been happily married for over … er, well, a long time.”

“Oh.” Kyra said, her grip loosening slightly.“Good.”

As she helped Finn to his feet, Hylia asked in a dull voice. “Jake?”

“Er, yeah?”

“Get off me.”

Jake quickly leapt off of the fallen human-turian hybrid. As she rose to her feet, Finn asked, “Not that I’m not happy to see you,” He paused a moment to squeeze Kyra’s hand, “but what are you doing here?”

“We’re here to rescue you, silly.” Kyra said, giving him a bop on the noggin. “Liara managed to dig up enough evidence to clear your name of the theft of the Creator’s Tear and spring the Ulasomorf.”

“Which is how you got past the border patrol.” Finn said, nodding.

Eri snapped his fingers and pointed at Finn. “You got it. Mind you, your little stunt still had them reeling when we passed. How did you manage to knock out that dreadnaught?”

“Can’t say that was me.” Finn said. “Siren’s Call gets the credit for that one.”

“Is Liara angry?” Jake asked.

“Angry?” Hylia said, sounding surprised. “Far from it.In fact, she wants you to continue working with Siren’s Call. Your work so far has helped her quite a bit.”

“Really?” Finn tried to think of something he had done that could’ve been of some use to the Shadow Broker, but came up empty.“Well, the computer’s scanning the Blood of the Krogan as we speak. Hopefully, it’ll be enough to give us a clear indication of where the League’s base is located by the time we rescue the others.”

“Rescue?” Kyra asked, startled.“They’re not here?”

“I’m sorry, Kyra.” Finn said, “The krogan found them before we got here.”

Kyra bit her lip, her eyes uncertain. Finn took her hand in his and said, “Don’t worry; we’re gonna get them back … your sisters, your little brother, all of them.”

Surprise flashed in her eyes. “You … you know?”

“About Viridia?” Finn asked, a kind smile crossing his lips.

Shame fell across Kyra’s lovely features. Before she or Finn could say anything, however, Jake said, “Mannon and Darsan might know.”

“Yeah, but we have no idea where they are either. Could we use the Ulasomorf’s sensors to-“

“Sorry, Finn.” Eri said. “They dropped us off here after detecting you on board.”

Finn frowned at this. “Why? I thought you were here to pick us up?”

“Shadow Broker Business.” Hylia said simply, as though that explained everything. Finn frowned at this, but knew better than to waste time asking.

“Okay.” Finn said, “We need to regroup with Mannon and Darsan and save Siren’s Call, so we need the sensors online. With the Ulasomorf busy, we might need the Meridia to get out of here, so the engines are a priority too.”

“Ooh, dibs on engines!” Glen said, already running toward the lift.

“Not without me, you’re not.” Kyra gave Finn a peck on the cheek before hurrying after Glen. The door closed just after she slipped into the lift, cutting them both from his view.

Finn stared after them for a moment, even though the lift was fast on its way. Some of what he was feeling must’ve been evident in his face, as Eri said, “Go spend some time with her.”

Finn shook his head. “We need to get the sensors working.”

“We’ll will handle it, bro.” Jake said, tail-end wagging. “Go be with your girlfriend already.”

Flashing his friends a grateful smile, Finn hurried to the lift and hit the call button. He stepped inside as soon as it was open.

The door opened in what was evidently the engineering deck of the ship; it was a large circular chamber surrounding the hovering orb that was the element zero drive, consoles and panels lining every wall. Kyra was already on her back and working on the underside of one of the consoles surrounding the eezo drive. Glen had opened one of the panels, and was pressed against the opening, one hand inside presumably to access circuitry or wiring within.

“About six months.” Kyra said as Finn left the lift.

“Think he’s the one?”

Kyra let out a chuckle. “I stopped believing in fairy-tales years ago.”

“No you didn’t.”

This brought another chuckle. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Finn felt his heart rise to his throat as he waited to see if Kyra answered the first question. She didn’t.

It was Glen who spoke next. After a zapping noise made her jerk her bare arm from the console, she said, “Cyber-cripes!”

“You okay?” Kyra asked, glancing at her.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Wouldn’t be the first time I got bit by a machine.” As she slid her hand back into the console, Glen asked, “I have to say, you seem familiar.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I thought so when I first saw you, but something about the engine room … say, you ever spend time on Vinta?”

“Is Vinta a planet?”

Glen chuckled. “Okay, so that’s a definite no.”

Kyra slid out from under the console and sat up. “Were you ever on Omega?”

“Not for awhile.”

“Well, I worked there for a few years. Maybe you saw me then? I was at a little repair shop called the Rigger’s Folly.”

“Sorry.” Glen said, flashing an apologetic smile. “But it’s been a lot longer than a few years since my last visit.”

“Decades?” Kyra asked.

“Sure. Let’s go with that.” Glen glanced back and noticed Finn. “Oh, hey Finn.”

“Finn?” Kyra turned and smiled at him. “Hey, sweetie. Come to help?”

“Sure.” Finn said. “What do you need me to do?”

“Sit next to me and help me rewire the console.”

Finn was only too happy to do so. The underside of the console was a mess of wires; Noir had evidently been working on it prior to his capture. Kyra handed Finn a welding wand and pointed her own want at an open connection. “Fuse the backup power to the auxiliary power cells, then link that to the heat sinks.”

“Aye, Milady.”

Smirking, she elbowed him in the ribs. As he raised his arms, she shuffled a little until she was nestled against his side, the strawberry scent left by her shampoo filling his nostrils.

“I missed you.” She murmured as they worked.

“I missed you too.” Finn told her. “I’m sorry about all of this.”

She was silent for a long moment. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you … about Viridia, I mean.”

“It’s okay.” Finn gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Noir told me what happened. You didn’t know what Siren’s Call was doing.”

There was gratitude in the smile she gave him. “They’re not bad people. I used to play with Scarlet when I was a little girl.”

“Noir too.” Finn said. “He has a crush on her, you know.”

“No!” Kyra said, her eyes wide. “I always thought there was something between them when we were kids, but …well, we were kids! When we joined up with Siren’s Call, he acted like he barely remembered her.”

“Must’ve been a shock when you first met Sherle.”

“I know, right? If she was quarian, they could pass off as twins!”

A hum ran through the console as Finn finished his work. “There. I gotta say, Noir seems to have done most of the work already.”

“Most, but not all.” Pulling away from Finn, Kyra stood up and moved to a different console. “Looks like the drive core is out of alignment. Finn, give me a hand.”

“Got it.” Finn stood and walked to Kyra’s console. As they began the manual adjustment process, Finn asked, “Everything okay on the Ulasomorf?”

“Well enough. I missed hanging out with you, though.” She brushed against his side again, as though to remind herself that he was there. “I tried to get someone else to watch some of those old television shows with me, but Hylia’s been busy talking with Liara, Eri’s been busy talking to his sister … just had twin girls, apparently. I’ve been calling him Uncle Eri ever since I heard about it. Anyway, all that left was Xyn, and she’s been avoiding me since I yelled at her for letting her plants grow into the maintenance tunnels.”

Finn chuckled. “She just gets a little overzealous.”

“I know.” Kyra said, the slight notes of depression in her voice making it clear she was still bothered. “It’s hard on her, living in a ship. At least her long talks with Eri seem to brighten her day.”

“Ah.” Finn said, grinning. “Have they settled on a date for their bonding ceremony yet?”

“Behave!” She gave him a playful bop on the arm, smiling nonetheless. Her smile faded moments later. “I just wish Mannon …”

There was a loud clang as another panel hit the ground. They both looked at Glen, who shot them a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I just need to check the Feramental Drive.”

As she climbed into the open panel, Kyra whispered, “Finn … what do you know about her?”

“You mean …” Finn nodded at Glen’s jean-covered backside and legs.

“She seems so strange.” Kyra said, staring at her. “Where did she come from, anyway?’

“She was just here. She said something about her ship being damaged; she helped me escape a krogan cook earlier …” Seeing Kyra’s strange look, he said, “Just go with it. Anyway, I promised to return the favor by helping her locate the missing part of her ship.”

“Yeah, but do you know anything about her? She seems kinda odd.”

Finn considered Glen as she waggled her legs, no doubt trying to reach something inside the console. “A little, maybe. She seems okay, though. I mean, she even helped me snag the Blood of the Krogan.”

“What?”

“It’s …” Finn stopped, realizing that he hadn’t explained the true purpose of Scarlet’s mission yet. “… complicated.”

“Isn’t it always.” Kyra let out a sigh, her gaze still on Glen. “She seems friendly, and she seems eager to help, but I can’t help but feel there’s something slightly off about her … like she’s not quite supposed to be here.”

“You both know I can hear you, right?” Glen called out, still in the console.

Kyra and Finn both blushed and quickly turned their attention back to realigning the core. With their concentration focused, it only took a few minutes.

“I’m sorry.” Kyra said once they were finished. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”

“Oh, I’m not insulted. You’re absolutely right, after all.”

“I am?” Kyra said, raising her eyebrows.

“Yup. I’m totally not telling you everything about me. You probably wouldn’t believe it all anyway; people never do. Still, I can promise that I’m not here to cause any trouble for you, and I never break my promises. I’m just a wandering Dreamer who …”

She froze for a moment. Her legs kicked a few times before falling still again. “… who is stuck. Do you mind giving me a hand?”

Finn and Kyra looked at each other, silently acknowledging that it was impossible to be spooked by a person stuck in a hole with her legs in the air. Sharing a chuckle, they walked over to the panel and each took a leg. On the count of three, they tugged Glen until she came out of the panel, banging her head on the top on the way with a loud, “Oww!”

“Thanks.” She said, rubbing the bump on her head. “And if it makes you feel any better, it really is just a strange coincidence that we were both caught by that crazy krogan chef.”

“Again with the krogan chef!” Kyra turned to Finn, hands on her hips. “Okay, that’s it; tell me everything; the League of One, the Blood of the Krogan, the krogan chef, all of it. You’re gonna tell me everything, or I’m gonna bop you into oblivion!”

“Okay, okay!” Finn said, raising his hands in mock terror as Kyra raised her clenched fist. “But let’s finish with the engines and meet up with the others first, so I only have to tell it once.”

She lowered her fist, a bright smile on her face.“Good.”

As she moved to another console, Finn caught Glen looking at him with a smirk.

“Aren’t you two adorable?” She said, clasping her hands together and batting her eyes.

“Oh, shut up.” Finn told her, his cheeks burning.

 

 


	22. To the Rescue!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and company get a surprise visitor while planning a rescue.

Finn paused to take a breath. “And the rest you know. We heard you coming aboard, thought you might be more krogan, and tried to get the drop on you.”

Kyra stared at him wordlessly for a few moments before she finally said, “A krogan chef.”

“I know. His cooking was good, though.” Blushing, Finn added, “I feel kinda bad about leaving him like that, to be honest. All in all, he was a pretty nice guy.”

Kyra rubbed his arm, a kind smile on her face.

Chuckling from his position beneath the sensor console as Hylia resumed her work on the top of the console, Eri said, “Falling in with interstellar thieves, bumping elbows with the leader of the Saints, searching for the lost treasure of the League of One. Damn, Finn, are you a magnet for trouble or what?”

“Tell me about it.” Finn muttered. “How are the sensors coming?”

“Shouldn’t be long now.” Eri told them. “Jake, could you bring me the number six wrench?”

Jake trotted over to the open toolbox, grabbed a large wrench with the grapple attached to the underside of his monitor, talked back to Eri, and dropped it onto his hand, heavy-side first.

“Ow!” Eri glared balefully at Jake, rubbing his sore hand. “Thanks for that.”

“No problem, buddy!”

As Eri shook his head and picked up the wrench, Jake trotted over to Glen.

“Hi!” Jake said. “I’m Jake!”

“I see that.” Glen said, amusement in her tone. She knelt down next to the KEI-9 unit and began scratching the sides of his monitors. “Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy, eh?”

Jake giggled like a little boy. “It’s me, isn’t it? I’m a good boy!”

Finn and Kyra shared a smile at the sight of Glen and Jake.

“Now that’s adorable.” Kyra said.

A shrill whine shot through the air, quickly rising in pitch until it was inaudible.

“Got it.” Hylia said, her fingers already tapping at the console.

Eri pulled himself out from under the console. “About time. This is your job, Finn.”

“Hey, can’t fix everything.” Finn told him. “Wouldn’t have time to get into trouble.”

Everyone crowded around the sensor console as Hylia continued working. After a few minutes, she said, “Found them! Three-hundred kilometers northeast, definitely quarian life-signs, though I can’t get an exact number.”

“That’s all I needed to hear.” Finn quickly sat at the helm and prepared the ship for lift-off.”

“Wait, Finn!” Kyra said, stopping him before he could fire the engines. “What if the krogan spot us?”

“Primarch Jorgal isn’t worried about what’s down here; he’s worried about what’s out there, specifically a likely pissed-off Urdnot Wrex.”

“Urdnot Wrex?”

“Yeah. I’ve had some time to think about it, and I think I know what’s been going on; Jorgal waited until Wrex left Tuchanka, then stole his throne. That’s why they have a blockade around their space; everyone thinks they’re preparing for war, but Jorgal’s trying to keep Wrex away.”

“Why?” Kyra asked. “Why go to this much trouble just to stop one krogan?”

“He’s afraid of Wrex.” Hylia said. As everyone turned to look at her, she continued, “I’ve seen the info coming in from Tuchanka; the krogan believe that Wrex left Jorgal in charge, but they’re starting to ask questions.”

“I heard some of them.” Finn said. “Most don’t seem that keen on Jorgal.”

“And for good reason; Jorgal’s been a big advocate of going back to the glory days of the krogan. While there’s some amount of chest-thumping pride, most krogan have grown to prefer the way things are now. Many still remember the genophage, a result of ‘the glory days of the krogan’.”

“But how can he keep Wrex out?” Eri asked, crossing his arms. “The first time he hails a ship, wouldn’t they know?”

“Let me put it this way; there are the staunch supporters of Wrex, who have found themselves coming under fire and given dangerous postings of late, those who claim to support Jorgal, but would go back to Wrex in an instant, and those who fully support Jorgal. Guess who’s on the border patrol.”

“Ah.” Eri said, nodding. “And then a bunch of thieves blast through the blockade and take out their biggest dreadnaught like it’s nothing.”

Finn felt his blood go cold. Nodding, he started working faster. “We’re going.Everyone … hang on, the ramp is still down.”

He tried to activate the remote retraction system, but it didn’t seem to function. Sighing, Finn said, “It’s stuck. Kyra, could you …”

“Sure thing, sweetie. Come on, Jake!”

As they walked off, Eri said, “I’m gonna go with.”

“Is everything okay?” Finn asked him.

Eri shrugged. “Not much else to do. I might as well check on those krogan you captured earlier. You know, make sure they’re comfortable, let them know about the in flight movie, that kind of thing.”

“You do that.” Shaking his head, Finn turned back to the helm and ran through his checklist for caution’s sake.

Glen leaned on the side of the helm, her eyes on Finn. “You know we can’t just swoop in there and scoop up Siren’s Call, right?”

“Yes, Swooping is bad.” Finn glanced at her. “Hang on; Hylia, can you detect any elcor or human readings?”

She glanced at her console and shook her head. “No. I’ll set a more concentrated search, but it’ll take some time.”

“They might still be in the ruins.” Finn stopped and glanced back at her again. “Hang on; our sensors are working, right?”

“More or less.”

“No problems?”

“None.”

Finn considered this for a few moments. “The Ulasomorf didn’t have any problems finding Siren’s Call, did they?”

“Uh, no.” Hylia said, a worried look on her scaled face, “Why? Is something wrong?”

Shaking his head, Finn told her, “Just amazed at my dumb luck, that’s all. Geez, the krogan’s scanners must royally suck. Good news for us, I suppose; maybe this won’t be too bad after all.”

“Finn, we’re about to try to rescue a bunch of quarian thieves from Goddess knows how many krogan in a ship with no weapons. Oh, that reminds me.”

She pulled something from her hip and tossed it to Finn, who caught it easily. It was his carnifex hand pistol, secure in its holster.

“Thanks.” He said, flashing her a grateful smile as he checked the heat sink. “This pistol and have been through a lot.”

Finn turned back to his console to see the ramp was raised.

“Excellent.” Finn said, bringing the engine online. He frowned; something about the controls felt a little off.

“Hey, Glen.” He said, trying to nail down what was wrong, “Could you go to the engine room and make sure everything’s okay?”

“Something wrong?” Glen asked as she pulled Headache over her arms.

Finn shook his head. “I’m not sure. It could just be lingering damage from the crash; best to have someone on hand anyway, in case any of the jury-rigging we did goes haywire.”

“Aye, sir!” After giving Finn an exaggerated salute, Glen disappeared into the lift.

He caught Hylia looking at him as he turned back to the helm. “Strange lady.’

“Strange, yes, but I get the impression the lady might be an exaggeration.” Finn said with a grin. “Okay, I’m taking her up. Keep an eye on the sensors and see if you can’t home in on Siren’s Call. I’m gonna take it low and slow; hopefully that’ll help us avoid detection.”

He guided the Meridia up and out of the mountain ruins, using the same hole they created upon their entry.

“Four degrees right.” Hylia told him. “It’s too far to get a proper image, but it’s some kind of large structure.”

“A prison?” Finn asked.

Hylia shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Shrugging, Finn moved the ship under an old highway. His glance flicked over the capital building as they passed by. Grinning and shaking his head, he looked back to alter their course when he spotted the reflection, katana raised to stab.

Finn shoved his chair back, slamming into his attacker’s legs and knocking him forward. The katana’s tip pierced the console as though it were butter. Carnifex clenched in one hand, Finn spun around with his empty fist. His attacker caught Finn’s fist and twisted, sending a jolt of pain up Finn’s arm. He barely had let out a cry when Hylia’s heavy boot slammed into the assassin’s arm with an audible crack.

Finn’s eyes narrowed as he got a good look at his attacker. “Cerberus.”

The Cerberus assassin produced a knife with a glowing edge from seemingly nowhere and took a swipe at Finn, only for Hylia to catch the assassin’s hand and twist it until he dropped the knife.

Hylia’s eyes darted in Finn’s direction and went wide. “Finn!”

“Wha-“ Finn turned to see the ship veering dangerously close to an old building. Leaving Hylia and the Cerberus Assassin to continue fighting, Finn hurried back to the helm and veered the Meridia away.

Fear suddenly raced though him. Was Kyra okay? Had the assassin injured her, Eri, or Jake? He started to bring the ship to a halt when his hand froze; the blade of the assassin’s katana was embedded in the throttle controls. He tapped them a few times to no avail.

Ignoring the continued crashes behind him, he grabbed the hilt of the katana and pulled. The blade slid free easily, only sparking slightly once as it left the console. Unfortunately, the throttle control still didn’t respond.

Swearing beneath his breath, Finn made sure their course was clear for the moment and quickly ducked beneath the console. The katana had made a mess of the circuitry, but it was nothing he wouldn’t be able to get working.

“Jake.” Finn whispered, not caring if someone else was listening. “Please tell me everyone’s okay.” A pit opened in his stomach as the moments passed with no reply.

“Ah!” Hylia gasped. Finn glanced back to see the assassin pressing her over a console, his knife inches from her throat.

“Oy, funny face!” Finn shouted, gripping his console as he pulled the Meridia sharply to the right. The Cerberus assassin stumbled, giving Hylia all the opening she needed to tear free and knock him to the floor with a punch so fast it was only a blur in Finn’s vision.

As she looked up at him, he tossed her the katana. She caught it easily as the assassin rose to his feet, a grin sliding over her face.

Turning back to the console, Finn’s fingers ran along the broken circuit board until he found a place where he could reroute the controls. The ship buckled slightly as the thrusters flared briefly, signaling Finn’s success.

He stood up and quickly brought the ship to a halt under an ancient road. Glancing back at Hylia, he shouted, “I have to check on Kyra!”

“Go!” Hylia called back. “I’ve got this!”

Sliding a fresh heat sink into his pistol, Finn hurried to the lift and hit the button for the loading bay.

“Please be okay.” Finn breathed. He felt a little guilty that it was Kyra who first triggered his concern, but he couldn’t help it. Their time together was precious to him; days spent talking about everything and nothing, evenings watching old television shows, even a few quiet nights on the Bridge where they cuddled and talked of the future … their future.

When the lift doors opened, the first thing Finn saw was Kyra on the ground beneath the ramp control console.

“Kyra!” he called in horror, hurrying toward her.

She pulled herself from under the console and sat up, giving him a quizzical look.“Finn? What’s wrong? You nearly knocked all of us off our feet with that turn earlier. Don’t tell me we’re being chased again.”

He fell to his knees beside her and pulled her into a tight hug. Eri and Jake appeared from behind a stack of boxes moments later, no doubt drawn by Finn’s shout. The quizzical looks on their faces would’ve struck Finn as funny if his heart wasn’t still beating so fast with fear.

After a few moments, her arms tightened hesitantly around him. She pulled back so she could look at his face. “You look like hell, Finn. What’s wrong?”

It took him a few moments to collect himself enough to say, “We were attacked.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“There’s Cerberus assassin, on the bridge. I thought he-”

“With Hylia? By the ancestors, is she okay?”

“She’s still-”

“You left her up there with a Cerberus assassin?” Kyra said incredulously, pulling away from him. “What the hell?”

“I thought-” Finn began, but Kyra was already moving toward the lift. He hurried after her, barely making it into the lift before the doors slid shut.

She refused to look at him, clearly unhappy. He started to tell her why he left Hylia, how she had said she had things under control, how Finn was terrified that the assassin had attacked her, Eri, or Jake. When he tried to say something, however, she shot him a dark look that made him close his mouth. They waited in tense silence until the doors opened back to the bridge.

“Ah, Kyra.” Hylia said, cleaning the blade of the katana. “I’m glad to see you’re okay. I’m guessing our friend didn’t cause any injuries to you or Jake?”

Kyra didn’t respond. Her eyes were on the prone form of the assassin.

Hylia glanced at him. “Oh, him? Yeah, he was no trouble, thanks to some quick thinking on Finn’s part.”

Kyra looked at Finn, her cheeks growing dark. “I … oh. Oh! You thought … by the ancestors, that’s why you looked so scared! You thought he had killed us. ”

“So did I.” Hylia told her, walking over to join them. “Since you’re okay, and from your faces, I surmise that Eri and Jake are okay as well, my guess is our friend was going after Finn.”

“What?” Kyra said, her hand finding Finn’s and squeezing hard. “Just Finn?”

“Oh, I’m sure he would have gotten around to the rest of us.” Hylia kicked the assassin’s dead body. “A shame he activated his kill-switch before I could disable it. Some answers would’ve been nice.”

Fear that was all too familiar filled Kyra’s face. She pulled Finn’s arm close. “But why would the Illusive Man target Finn?”

“I doubt it was anything that specific.” Hylia said, her tone reassuring. “He was the pilot; take him out, and it stops all of us. That does raise an uncomfortable implication, though.”

“Cerberus might have something to do with what’s going on here.” Finn said, nodding. “As if we didn’t have enough problems. Hylia, can you get me another reading on Siren’s Call?”

“Sure thing.” She told him.

Finn started to move back to the helm, only for Kyra to pull him back.

“I’m sorry.” She said, her voice soft. “There was no reason to think he was the only assassin. I should’ve realized you were worried about me … us. Me, Eri, and Jake, I mean.”

Rubbing her cheek, he said, “Just don’t die, okay? I … I need you.”

He blushed when his words hit his ears. He started to shy away, but Kyra yanked him back toward her and pulled him into a fierce kiss that left them both breathless.

As they released, Kyra met his eyes and whispered, “I love you, Finn.”

He opened his mouth to respond when the lift opened. Eri and Jake hurried out, both looking panicked.

“What happened?” Eri asked as Jake rushed over to the dead assassin and growled at his lifeless corpse. “Is everyone okay?”

Kyra and Finn exchanged glances before erupting into laughter. It wasn’t really that funny, but somehow, it just felt like the right thing to do.


	23. On the Sly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and company hatch an unconventional plan to sneak inside the krogan fortress.

"There it is." Hylia said, transferring the image to the viewscreen. "Siren's Call is there."

Finn was expecting a prison, though he wasn't sure what a krogan prison might look like. It certainly wasn't the gargantuan structure in the distance in front of them, nearly as big as the mountain they had just left.

There was a definite dome-like look to the structure, impressive seeing as it was cut from the same ancient stone as the ruins. Hylia's sensors detected a massive chamber within the center of the structure, and thousands of krogan throughout the entire construct. Several shuttles circled overhead, but it was the still form of the Kalros that encircled the structure that gave Finn the most pause.

The Merida hovered inside the shell of an ancient gutted building, a relatively safe place for the time being.

"So … now what?" Kyra asked, her eyes still focused on the Kalros. "How do we get in there?"

Finn didn't know what to say. The place was a fortress; the security shuttles overhead would no doubt detect their approach. Tomkahs practically covered the roads leading toward the structure, making it highly unlikely that they could walk or hitch a ride without being caught. Since the Meridia lacked tunneling equipment, this rather limited their options.

Finn sat back in his seat and rubbed his temples. "Any ideas?"

"Frontal assault!" Jake barked, tail end wagging.

"Correction." Finn said, rubbing his temples. "Non-suicidal ideas?

"Go home?" Eri said, a note of hopefulness in his voice.

The unfortunate turian shrank back at the withering stares of Finn, Jake, Kyra, and Hylia. Raising his hands, he said, "Kidding! Just kidding!"

Turning back to the helm, Finn said, "After everything we've been through since J-27, I'll be damned if this is the stumper. There's gotta be some way past this!"

The lift opened, drawing everyone's attention immediately. Glen left the lift, popping her neck as she said, "Hey, Finn, I ran into a little …"

She stopped as she looked up and noticed everyone staring at her. Raising her hands, she took a step back. "Uh, didn't mean to startle you folk."

"Sorry." Kyra told her as everyone's attention returned to the fortress. "We had a little trouble earlier."

"Ah." Glen said, her eyes on the dead assassin. "So I see."

Finn gestured at the screen. "What do you think, Glen? How can we get in there?"

Glen considered the fortress. "Hmm. I'm assuming flying or walking in isn't an option."

"Nope. Tomkahs on the roads, and security ships in the skies."

Rubbing her chin, Glen said, "What if we had a disguise? Think we can fake being a krogan if we get the armor off our would-be captors?"

The idea of trying to separate the armor from the three krogan passed through the minds of those in the room.

"Nevermind." Glen said, shaking her head. "Think we could fake video failure?"

"Not while we're in an asari ship." Finn sighed again. "A shame the Ulasomorf just zoomed off without us. Billy's cloak would've come in handy about now."

They stared at the screen again. After a few moments, Jake asked, "Hey, I got an idea! Let's ask the krogan!"

"Yes, Jake." Hylia said, not bothering to hide her sarcasm, "I'm sure if we just ask for Siren's Call, Primarch Jorgal will understand. Maybe we should give him the medallions as a sign of good faith?"

Jake's cartoon face stuck its tongue at her. "Not them! The krogan in the hold! Maybe we can convince them to help us."

"Yeah, that's gonna happen." Eri said. "Those guys are pissed."

Finn considered Jake's suggestion for a few moments. "Maybe we can get them to help us unwillingly."

Kyra raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if they're holding Siren's Call prisoner, it seems to me getting ourselves captured would be a good way of finding them."

"You can't be serious." Kyra said, her face going pale. "Finn, what's to stop them from killing us on the spot?"

"Not us." Finn corrected. "Me, Eri, and Glen."

"What?" Eri and Glen asked simultaneously.

"As far as the krogan know, we're the only people on the ship. Look, they put us in prison while Kyra, Hylia, and Jake hide onboard, bringing the ship into the fortress in the process. Once they land, you three can trace us and get us out. We'll spring Siren's call, sneak back to the Meridia, and fly it back out of here."

Glen let out a whistle. "There are a lot of holes in that plan, man. What if the ship is locked in some kind of hangar? What if we can't get it out? What if they just shoot you in the brainbox?"

"Fair enough." Finn said, crossing his arms. "Let's hear your plan."

Glen considered this for a few moments before shrugging. "I've got nothing."

Rubbing her temples, Kyra said, "This is insane."

"No one's arguing that." Finn told her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm not kidding when I say I'd like to hear another plan. Please, tell me something, anything else we can do that might have a chance in hell of working."

She met his gaze. After a few moments, she let out a sigh. "Okay … but this time, I'm gonna ask you: please just don't die, okay?"

"I'll do my best." Finn gave her a kiss on the cheek and trying to ignore the dreadful feeling that once again he might be saying goodbye to her forever. "Eri? Glen? Let's go surrender."

"Wait." Hylia said, raising a hand to stop them. "I have a slight alteration to your plan."

* * *

 

The closet slid open, blinding the krogan temporarily. T'luuc glared up at the silhouette and snarled, "What is it now?"

His eyes narrowed as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light. "Well, it's about time! Cut us loose!"

The black-clothed figure knelt beside the incapacitated krogan and undid their bonds with her knife.

As the krogan rose to their feet, T'luuc asked, "Where are they?"

The Cerberus assassin motioned toward the loading bay, where the forms of Glen, Finn, and Eri could be seen, bound and gagged.

"Good work, missy!" T'luuc patted the assassin on the shoulder. The assassin's head swiveled toward him, filling him with a nameless dread that made him quickly pull his hand away. "Didn't give you much trouble, did they?"

The assassin shook her head.

"Good." T'luuc looked down at Eri. "This must be the bastard who shocked me."

Eri's eyes went wide. He shook his head as well as he was able as he tried in vain to mumble something.

T'luuc gave him a kick in the ribs that looked like it hurt. Eri let out a muffled growl of pain before shooting a nasty look at T'luuc.

"Try me, turian!" T'luuc spat a wad of phlegm that caught Eri in the side of the face. As Eri made retching noises to no avail, T'luuc turned to address his savior.

"So I'm guessing Ghales got the message." T'luuc said. "Yeah, these quarians were definitely up to something. There's a chamber on the upper deck-"

The assassin raised his hand to stop the explanation.

"Oh, you … you already saw it, did you?" Recovering quickly, T'luuc said, "It's something, though. I couldn't read much of it, but I knew The Bloodmaster would know what it's about. Did he come with you?"

The assassin shook her head and motioned for the krogan to follow.

As they walked one of the soldier krogan muttered, "Creepy bastards."

"Quiet!" Snapped T'luuc. "She just saved our hide; I don't give a damn how quiet she is."

"It's not just her." The other soldier grumbled. "Have you ever heard one of them talk?"

"Bah. Too much talking these days, if you ask me. That's why Wrex got himself outed." T'luuc's eyes darted to the assassin. "Thanks in part to our friends here."

"I don't like it." The first soldier grumbled. "Outsiders messing with Tuchanka. How is that like the old ways?"

"I said be quiet!" T'luuc barked. "Mark my words, Primarch Jorgal's gonna lead us into a new age of conquest and glory!"

The soldiers traded looks but said nothing.

Once on the bridge, the assassin pointed to the fortress on the viewscreen.

"Perfect!" T'luuc said, clapping his massive hands together. "We're already here. Thank you, ma'am, we'll take it from here."

He started to move past the assassin, only for her to move directly in his way. He could almost see her hard black eyes past the helmet staring him down and making him tremble.

"Er, if it's all right with you, of course." He stammered.

After staring for a moment longer, the assassin stepped aside and gestured to the helm.

Still a little shaken, T'luuc looked at the controls for a moment, muttering, "Communications … communications …"

"Right here." One of the soldier krogan said, pointedly pressing one of the controls. "Channel open."

"Good, good." T'luuc cleared his throat and said, "Galados Command, this is Battlemaster T'luuc. We've brought the quarian's ship."

"Scanning." After a few moments, the krogan on the other side said, "Asari vessel, Ulyndia-class. Any additional prisoners to declare?"

"Yes ma'am." T'luuc said, "Two humans and a turian. They put up a fight, but we managed to subdue them."

The krogan soldiers exchanged knowing glances as the operator said, "Approach is approved. Head to hanger B-37, and try not to get soft on that luxury liner."

This made T'luuc chuckle. "We'll try. Over and out."

He turned to find the warriors looking at him.

"What?" He asked.

"When's the mating ceremony?"

Scowling, T'luuc turned back to the helm and set their course.

The Meridia flew toward the distant fortress at a somewhat erratic pace as T'luuc got the hang of the controls. They flew over the dome, where a massive circular opening in the roof was positively teeming with vessels, mostly smaller ships moving around within the fortress itself. After a few minutes, they reached a large hanger filled with a mis-matched menagerie of ships; turian, alliance, asari, quarian … mostly transport and cargo ships, though a few small frigates were present.

T'luuc brought the ship more or less down at the coordinates provided.

"All right." T'luuc said, cracking his knuckles as he headed for the lift. "You two drop the prisoners off in the brig while I let Ghales know about our catch."

The assassin followed him into the lift. Though she made him nervous, he simply nodded at her and pushed the button for the cargo bay.

They rode in silence that seemed to grow heavier by the second.

Letting out a cough, T'luuc said, "I'm sure Ghales will let your boss know the good work you did. Do you lot get promotions?"

The assassin turned to look at him.

"Well, you deserve one." He said, trying to ignore the panic rising in his chest. "I'll put in a good word, just in case."

She stared at him for another moment before returning her gaze to the doors. In a quiet, emotionless voice that sent shivers down his spine, she said, "You do that."

Relief flooded through T'luuc as the lift doors finally opened. With a quick nod at the assassin, he hurried out of the lift as fast as he could without actually running. As he reached the bottom of the ramp, he heard a gruff voice shout, "T'luuc!"

"C-councilor Ghales!" T'luuc gave a smart salute as the Primarch's right hand approached with a retinue of soldiers in dark red armor. Although none bore the emblem of the Blood Pack, the rumors of Ghales's connection with the infamous syndicate had spread since before Jorgal's rise to power.

The Councillor was actually a little smaller than the average krogan. He wore the ceremonial robes of a shaman, though it was obviously just for show; the last real krogan shaman died centuries ago, taking any potential mystical secrets with her to her grave.

"Greetings Battlemaster T'luuc." Councillor Ghales said, nodding approvingly at the respect shown. "I hear you have found us quite a prize."

"I think so, your Grace!"

"Think?" Ghales repeated, his voice suddenly cold.

"I'm sure!" T'luuc said quickly. "They've got a computer on their upper deck with a map of the sector. From what I can make out, they're analyzing some old salarian code for coordinates somewhere in our space."

"Really?" Ghales appeared to think about this for a few moments before asking, "And your prisoners? You captured them alive, yes?"

"Yes, your Grace! They may have caught us a little off-guard at first, but one of the spooks helped shift things in our favor."

T'luuc looked around for the assassin, only to find her gone. He scowled for a moment before turning back to the Councilor, "Ran off already, I guess."

"Yes, they tend to do that." The Councilor said smoothly. "Not to worry; our friends may be a bit secretive, but the Primarch's throne is kept secure by their presence. Ah, are those the prisoners?"

T'luuc turned to see his two warriors leaving the ship with the prisoners in tow.

"A moment." Councilor Ghales said, raising a hand. The red-armored soldiers surrounded the group as the Councilor approached and examined the prisoners.

"Two humans and a turian." T'luuc said helpfully.

"I can see that, thank you." The Councilor stared at each of their faces in turn. He hesitated a moment while looking at the male human. T'luuc thought he saw the Councilor's eyes narrow slightly. If he gleaned anything from the inspection, however, he kept it to himself.

"Throw them in the southern cell-block." He instructed. "Make sure they're in a separate cell from the quarians, and leave them bound as well. We lose anymore and heads will roll, the Primarch will see to that."

"Ah." T'luuc said, "Still having trouble with the Kalros, eh?"

The Councilor glared at T'luuc. "Perhaps you feel your technical expertise could rectify the situation in a more timely manner?"

"Uh, no, your Grace. My apologies; I wasn't trying to-"

"Report to Techmaster Bolle." The Councilor said. "Immediately."

"But-"

The glare Councilor Ghales shot T'luuc could've frozen water solid. "Are you disobeying my orders?"

"No sir!" T'luuc saluted hurriedly, backing away. "I'll head to the Kalros immediately."

He walked away, grumbling as soon as he was sure he was out of the Councilor's earshot. He kicked at the robot dog idling at the base of the Meridia's open ramp as he passed, making the unit yip and run away. As he watched it scamper off in the direction of his soldiers, part of him wondered what it was doing there; the krogan didn't use non-military constructs, and it was too small to be a security drone.

Unfortunately, that part of him was dwarfed by the part that was annoyed at being stuck with Tech work again. With a disgruntled wave at the retreating KEI-9 Unit, T'luuc began the long trudge to the Kalros.


	24. Jailbirds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn, Eri, and Glen get thrown in jail. Fortunately, that was part of the plan. Meanwhile, Jake confesses dream-related worries to Kyra.

Finn caught a brief glimpse of Scarlet’s face as the krogan soldier carried him into his cell and plopped him down against the crude bars beside Glen and Eri.”

“Get some rest while you can.” The soldier rumbled, poking him in the chest with a thick finger. “The Primarch wants to deal with you lot personally.”

“Stop playing with the monkeys.” The other krogan said. “Close the cell so we can get moving.”

“Right.” The krogan’s eyes fell on Glen. He gave her a quick nod. Finn was surprised to see respect in the krogan’s eyes. He realized that the krogan was the same one Glen had fought earlier.

Glen accepted the gesture with a nod of her own, not having a lot of other ways to respond at the moment.

“Havak!”

“I’m coming!” The krogan left the cell and tapped at the console outside, encasing the three would-be rescuers in an energy field that surrounded the bars. As they left, Finn heard Scarlet say, “So they caught you too. I was hoping that maybe you managed to get away.”

Finn tried to say something through his gag, which predictably came out as a mumble. Rolling his eyes, he started twisting so that his hands were closer to Eri’s while Glen watched carefully.

From his new position, Finn could see into Scarlet’s cell now; Azure and Amber were with her, the former unconscious with her head in Amber’s lap. Blood crusted from one side of her lip, and her eye was already swollen.

“Azure got the worst of it.” Scarlet told him as he tried to get in position. “She fought the hardest when the krogan’s ambushed us. Auren, Violet, and Noir managed to get away by tricking a guard … that’s why they’re using the energy fields to keep us in now.”

She let out a sigh, her eyes on the ceiling. “So much for my big plan. Who knows what they’ll do with us now, especially after they figure out why we’re here.”

Glen nodded and mumbled something. Nodding back, Finn activated his omni-blade. The holographic blade emerged from the edges of his omni-tool, slicing through Eri’s bindings and missing his wrist by millimeters.

Eri pulled the remnants of the bindings from his wrists, tossed them to the ground, and immediately started wiping the now mostly dry phlegm off his face.

“Ecch!” He spat as Scarlet stared at him in surprise. “That prick better hope we don’t run into him again.”

Finn grumbled at him through his gag.

“Right, right.” Eri moved behind Finn and untied his bindings.

Untying his gag, Finn took a full breath and said, “I’m sorry, Eri; I shoulda realized he’d blame it on you.”

“It’s fine.” Eri spat again. “It’s disgusting, but I’ll live. Who did knock him out, by the way?”

Glen flexed her Headache-covered arms, snapping the bindings easily. After removing her gag, she said, “That would be Jake. Saved the day, actually.”

Finn turned to Scarlet. “All according to plan. Kyra’s on the way to-“

“Kyra?” Amber asked, causing Azure to stir slightly. “She’s here?”

“Yes.” Finn said, smiling slightly at the way Amber’s eyes lit up at the sound of her sister’s name. “She and Jake are on the way to let us out. Listen, I’ve got a lot to tell you, so listen up and don’t interrupt.”

 

Kyra and Jake hurried through the corridors of the fortress, quickly ducking into adjoining corridors or unoccupied rooms whenever they heard the sound of approaching footsteps. She kept Finn’s carnifex pistol clenched in her hand. Her Omni-tool was synched with Finn’s, allowing her to see exactly where he was.It wasn’t far, but if they were caught, it wouldn’t matter how far away Finn and the others were.

“I hope you’re a better shot with that than Finn.” Jake said at one point.

“Jake, I could drop the pistol and still hit more targets than Finn.” She told him, her eyes on the tunnel ahead. “I love the lug, but he really needs to stop skipping out on Javik’s training.”

“Ah, he’s just creeped out by the guy. Admit it; he’s a bit creepy.”

“A little.” Kyra admitted. “But he definitely knows his way around weapons.”

The silence that followed struck Kyra as odd, though it was soon broken by the sound of heavy footsteps. She and Jake ducked into a nearby room and waited for the krogan to pass.

“Kyra.” Jake asked as she reached for the panel that would open the door. “I’ve had strange dreams lately.”

“You dream?’ She asked, surprised.

He frowned. “What’s wrong with that?”

He was right, of course; there was no reason to think that Jake didn't dream, robot or no. She had seen him sleep before; she had even seen him eat.Well, not eat per say; food disappeared around him, and he definitely seemed chipper about it afterwards.

Feeling a little guilty, she knelt down in front of him and put her hand on the side of his screen. "I'm sorry. Tell me about them."

He looked up at her concerned face, worry on his own. “It’s not just lately. I’ve been having these dreams for a long time, even before I met Finn. Thing is, I only got them occasionally back then; once every month or so. I wrote them off as just being weird dreams, only I’ve been getting them more often ever since we joined the Shadow Broker.”

Seeing Jake so bothered was beyond strange, and more than a little worrying. Kyra put her hand on Jake’s monitor. “It’s okay Jake. Remember, they’re only dreams.”

“I know.” He said, his tail end wagging as though aware only of Kyra’s hand rubbing the monitor. “But I see places I know I’ve never been, people I’ve never met, yet while I’m dreaming, I know they’re my friends. I’d still just write ‘em off as dreams, but …”

“But?” Kyra asked, feeling a slight sense of unease growing in the pit of her stomach. “Jake, we’re friends … real, not dream friends. You can tell me anything if it makes you feel better; I won’t even tell Finn.”

He looked up at her, gratitude shining in his eyes for a moment before worry filled them once again. “I saw Liara and Javik.”

“In your dreams?” Kyra asked. “Well, they’re part of our lives now.Surely that’s not so bad.”

“You don’t understand.” He said, “I saw them before we even knew she was the Shadow Broker.”

She froze as he continued, “I remember a place filled with old buildings and green trees stretching into the distance, and seeing Liara opening some kinda hibernation pod … but Javik’s inside! He wakes up angry too, attacking her and this guy I swear I’ve seen before as well.”

Swallowing, Kyra said, “Is there anything else?”

“Bits here and there.” He admitted. “Flashes of old memories. Javik brooding over a sink, Liara working Glyph, other faces I don’t remember when I wake up. I even remember a geth every now and then; it’s weird, but the geth’s repaired himself with a piece of N7 armor.”

He looked at her, worry still evident on his face. “Is something wrong with me? Could I be a psychic robot?”

The only thing that kept Kyra from laughing at this was the serious expression on her friend’s face. Putting her hands on either side of Jake’s monitor, she said, “I’m sure there’s a reason for it, Jake, and if there is something else going on, I promise I’ll help you figure it out.”

He smiled, not his usual goofy smile but a small, thankful smile. “Thanks, Kyra. I’m glad you and Finn are a thing.”

“Well, if we end up getting married, that’ll make me your sister, right?” She chuckled, a light blush coming to her cheeks. “That makes you my little brother too.”

He giggled as she rubbed the top of his monitor. “Yeah, I guess so. Thanks, sis!”

As she opened the door, he said off-handedly, “She’s nice too.”

“Who?” Kyra asked curiously.

“The quarian lady in my dreams. It’s hard to see through the mask of her environment suit, but you kinda look like her.”

Kyra stared at Jake as he walked out of the room, not sure what to say to that. Something about the whole situation bothered her, and she couldn’t help but feel worried as they continued moving … for Jake and for Finn.

Slipping into the cell block wasn’t easy; while their movement through the fortress had been relatively unimpeded thus far, thanks in part to the sensor bug Finn had hidden on his person, the security in the cells was extremely high. There was only one path to the cell blocks, and it was through a bear of a krogan who looked even grumpier than normal for his kind. Unfortunately, he stood directly in front of the entrance to the cell block.

“Vents?” Jake suggested as Kyra showed him the footage of the krogan on her omni-tool.

“Already thought about that.” Kyra moved the spyder (just thinking the name made her cringe. Sure, it was a spying device that looked like a spider, but the fact that the Shadow Broker would make such a bad pun just seemed so wrong on so many levels) so that its camera pointed at the small grate in the center of the corridor, almost directly above the krogan guard. It was far too small for either of them to squeeze inside. “Every vent we’ve passed already has been identical.

“All right, so the vent’s a no go.” Jake said, “Maybe there’s a sewer.”

“Ew.”

“Ew? Finn’s in there! You said you love him. Aren’t you willing to risk everything to save him?”

“I wouldn’t jump to the sewers as a way in unless there was no other choice. Besides, these are just holding cells; they don’t keep people here for days.”

Jake let out a sigh.“Think we could talk our way in?”

“I doubt it.” Kyra said, “That krogan doesn’t look like the messing around sort.”

“Well, maybe you could run a distraction. Y’know, use your feminine wiles.”

Her luminescent eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

“Sorry.” He said quickly, his cartoon cheeks turning red. “Must’ve been a glitch in my programming.”

They watched in silence as the krogan stood perfectly still, only moving occasionally to scratch an itch.

“Okay, I have an idea.” Jake said.

Kyra gave him the same look she gave Finn when she knew he was up to something. “What is it?”

“Watch.” Jake leapt away before Kyra could stop him, running straight for the guard.

The guard raised his shotgun as Jake skidded to a halt just a few feet away and started barking … well, kind of barking. He was simply saying ‘bark’, ‘bow-wow’, and ‘ruff’ with his usual voice, though in a clearly aggressive manner.

“What the hell are you?” The krogan said, backing away slightly.

Jake lunged forward, shocking the krogan in the leg.

“Ow! You little …” The krogan shot at Jake, but he was far too quick.He darted out of the blast range and lunged again, this time shocking the krogan’s other leg.

“Ow! Dammit! I’m gonna blast you into scrap!” The krogan fired again and again with his shotgun as Jake circled him, jumping out of the way of each blast and delivering another shock.

As the krogan’s shotgun clicked empty, Jake took off down the corridor.

“Oh, no you don’t!” The krogan snarled, loading another heat sink into his weapon. He stomped forward in pursuit, passing the room where Kyra was hiding.

“Good boy.” Kyra whispered as she watched them disappear into the maze of corridors.

“I can see that.”

Kyra spun about to see a face she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Noir!” She hugged her brother tightly, bringing smiles to the faces of Auren and Violet. “Little brother! You’re all right!”

“Three lousy minutes.” He whispered, though she could see he was smiling.

“It’s the three minutes that count, and don’t you forget it.” After giving her brother a bop on the noggin, she moved to her sister and hugged her as well.

“Been awhile, hasn’t it?” Violet pulled away slightly, her arms still holding those of her sister.“Not that it’s not good to see you, but what are you doing here?”

“Saving my boyfriend.” She said as though that explained everything.

“Finn?” Auren asked, sounding surprised. “He’s here? Where?”

“In the prison cells, supposedly trying to save you.” Kyra looked at her brother and sister strangely. “We thought you were caught.”

“We were.” Noir explained. “Krogan jumped us on the Meridia. We managed to sneak out by distracting one of the guards.”

“Distracting?” Kyra’s eyes went to Auren who gave her usual sleepy smile and shrugged.

“We had to leave Azure, Scarlet and Amber.” Noir said, clearly not happy about it. “I was hoping we could find a way out and come back for them.”

“Did you?” Kyra asked.

Noir shook his head. “They’re watching all the Tomkahs like hawks, and we can’t even find where they keep the shuttles. This place is huge!”

A smile fell across Kyra’s face. “I might be able to help you on both counts. The Meridia’s in one of the hangars here.”

“They found the Meridia?” Auren asked, sleepiness vanishing in an instant.

“All part of the plan.” Kyra assured her. “Noir, I’m gonna transfer the coordinates to your omni-tool; can you three-“

“Get the ship started up, got it.” Violet hugged her sister. “Be careful, okay? When we get out of here, I want to hear everything, especially about you and Finn.”

Blushing, Kyra shooed her away before hurrying down the cell block corridor.


	25. Troublemakers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn's crew and Siren's Call make their daring escape!

Finn glanced at the door as it slid open to reveal Kyra. “Ah, milady. Good timing; I was just letting Scarlet, Azure, and your little sister know where we stand. Where’s Jake?”

“Causing trouble.” She told him as she activated her omni-tool.

Finn chuckled. “Yeah, that’s Jake.”

Scarlet stared at Kyra silently. Amber looked at her older sister as well, though where Scarlet’s expression looked sad, Amber looked bothered.

Finn took advantage of the silence to check his omni-tool. “Looks like we’re getting close; the Sanctuary is definitely somewhere on Tuchanka, close from the looks of it.”

“How close?” Scarlet asked, still watching Kyra.

Finn checked again. “Definitely on the same continent. Analysis is still on-going with the info from the Blood of the Krogan.”

“Will we need another pendant?” asked Scarlet.

“I don’t think so.” Finn said with much more confidence than he felt. “Just time for the computer to finish its analysis. Still, no reason to hang around here.”

A groan brought the conversation to a momentary halt. Azure was waking up. She opened her eyes and stared up at the concerned face of Amber.

“Oh.” She said in an oddly quiet voice. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Amber said, smiling and visibly relieved. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore.” She tried to sit up and immediately winced. “Ow. My head hurts.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t use it to block krogan punches.” Scarlet told her friend with a smile.

“Krogan?” Azure let out a sigh. “Damn. I was hoping that was just a dream.”

“Nope.” Finn told her. “We’re still on Tuchanka.”

She sat up with Amber’s help so she could look at Finn. “So you did make it. We tried looking for you, but-“

“Don’t worry about it.” Finn told her. “I had to trace my steps back to the Meridia, and you wouldn’t believe how long it took to find the way past the trick floor. Besides, it turned out for the best; we got the Blood of the Krogan.”

“You did?” She said, sounding more than just a little surprised. “I’ll be damned. Does that mean we’re leaving?”

“Not yet.” Kyra said. “But soon.”

“Viridia?” Azure put a hand to her head. “Wow. Must’ve hit me harder than I thought.”

Kyra glanced at her with her lips pursed, but said nothing.

“She’s right.” Amber said, her face set. “I thought you didn’t want anything to do with a bunch of thieves like us.”

“Amber.” Scarlet said in an admonishing tone. “That’s not-“

“It’s fine.” Kyra said, continuing to work with only a slight flush to her cheeks. “She’s right, after all; I’m not here for Syrin’s Call.”

The force fields died with a slight fizzle. Kyra gave Finn a kiss through the bars and said, “Okay, sweetie, that’s my side of things.”

“Hacked like a boss, milady.” He turned to Glen. “You’re up!”

“Got it.” Glen approached the cell door, looked at it intently for a few moments. “No traps, good.”

She grabbed the door by two of the bars and pulled it loose with a tug that nearly made her fall on her back.

“Yeesh.” She said, tossing the door aside. “Shoddy worksmanship.”

“Have any trouble?” Finn asked as Glen moved to open the other cell.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” She paused, thinking about her conversation with Jake. “Finn, has Jake told you about-“

A loud claxon sounded just as Glen pulled the cell door off its hinges.

“Oh, come on!” She shouted, tossing the scrap metal to the floor, “I checked! There were no alarms!”

“Wait a minute.” Finn said, raising his hand for relative silence. The claxon was loud, but not anywhere nearly as loud as he thought a prison break alarm would be.“I don’t think its about us.”

“If not us, then who?” Scarlet asked as she and Amber helped Azure to her feet.

“Well, the Saints for one. Glen did give them a fake Blood of the Krogan earlier.” Finn said. “Heck, he might not even be after us; the Boss loves a good bit of chaos.”

Glen snapped her metal fingers. “Hang on; didn’t she mention something about some Councilor?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Finn said, nodding, “Whoever sent those asari snipers after us.”

“Dungeon campers.” Glen said with a scowl.

“Or maybe Hylia tripped an alarm. Does it really matter?” Eri said, a note of exasperation in his voice. “The krogan are distracted. Let’s take advantage of that and get back to the Meridia.”

“But the rest of Siren’s Call-“

“Already on the way.” Kyra told Scarlet. “I ran into them just outside the prison. Hopefully, they’ll have the Meridia ready to go.”

The group left the cell block to find the corridors vacant. Whatever tripped the alarm clearly was somewhere else in the domed fortress. This was good, as Azure was still having a little trouble moving.

“Must have a concussion.” She said at one point, putting a hand to her head. “It’s hard to concentrate.”

“It’s not far.” Amber told her, still supporting most of her friend’s weight. “Just don’t fall asleep.”

“I won’t.” Azure paused. “Amber … Jenna. I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you lately, but what you told me … it made me think about … well … us. Our friendship, and how I really felt about you, and-“

“Look, I hate to interrupt.” Glen said, “But now? You’re really doing this now?”

“I have to.” Azure said, looking pained. “If I don’t make it-”

“Don’t say that!” Amber’s voice echoed loudly through the corridors, making everyone freeze in their tracks.

After a long moment of silence, Finn slowly turned to the rest of the group. Once he was sure every eye was on him, he held a finger to his lips and said, “Shh.”

They moved more quietly after that. As Kyra led them back to the Merida, however, the sounds of muffled explosions could be heard in the distance. Dust fell from the ceiling as the group stared up in fear of a possible collapse.

“Kyra.” Finn said, slipping his hands in hers. “How far are we?”

She glanced at her omni-tool. “Nearly there now.”

“Good. Maybe we should hurry.”

“Gotcha. I’ll help with Azure.”

Kyra and Finn took the lead, Eri close behind and the others following. With Glen and Amber assisting, Azure was more or less able to keep up as they quickly moved through the corridors until finally reaching the hanger where the Meridia waited.

Many of the ships were now missing, their current location a mystery. Finn wondered at this; why would the krogan use ships they had obviously confiscated instead of their own? One of the remaining ships, a turian slipfighter, started to rise as they hurried past. Finn only caught a glimpse at the cockpit before the vessel shot toward the hangar bay doors, and he could’ve sworn it was empty.

The Meridia was right where they had left it, the ramp open.As they drew near, Finn spotted Noir standing just inside the ship.

“Oy!” Finn shouted, already starting up the ramp, “Got this tub ready to-”

Finn froze when he realized that Noir wasn’t alone. A krogan in blood red armor stood behind him, a shotgun aimed at the quarian mechanic’s chest.

Finn reached for his carnifex, only for Kyra to grab his hand.He glanced at her and realized she was looking behind them, down the ramp where Azure, Glen, and Amber were just starting up the ramp, unaware of the krogan taking up position behind them.

Sighing, Finn muttered, “Perfect.”

“Sorry, Finn.” Noir said. “They were already on board when I walked onboard.”

“It’s okay, Noir.” Finn said, noting the emphasis on ‘I’ and hoping that meant Auren and Violet were safe. “This is pretty much my life since J-27.”

“Don’t be so distraught.” Said a deep, smooth voice. “You’ve done quite well for yourself.”

Finn watched as another krogan stepped into view inside the Meridia. It was Ghales.

“You knew it was a play from the start, didn’t you?” Finn asked as Councilor Ghales approached, stopping beside Noir.

“I suspected.” Ghales admitted. “T’luuc is an effective strategian, but not much of a warrior. He certainly wouldn’t be able to capture one as slippery as you, Mister Cresste.”

Finn shook his head, more annoyed than frightened. “Do all the powerful people in the galaxy get together and talk about things? Why does everyone know about me? I didn’t think the krogan even cared what happened in Council space!”

“On the contrary.” Ghales said, his tone admonishing. “We keep a close eye on the other races. Even if we didn’t, our allies are watching all of you quite closely.”

“Cerberus, you mean.” Eri said, still holding his rifle despite the fact they were outnumbered.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong.” Ghales said, his eyes shifting to the turian. “I appreciate the assistance Cerberus has given us.He managed to distract Wrex so that idiot Jorgal could sieze control. Still, our alliance is one of convenience.”

“Wait.” Kyra said, raising a hand. “You aren’t working with Jorgal?”

Ghales laughed. “Of course not. The man’s a fool. The glory days of the krogan? That path nearly led us to extinction. Fortunately, I’ve managed to curb his war-mongering for the time being. No, I don’t care if Jorgal rules this barren rock. Your Illusive friend has promised me much, much more.”

Finn waited silently, hoping Ghales would keep talking. Unfortunately, Ghales seemed all too aware of this.

“I tell you this simply because I feel you’ve earned it. His little assassins were nearly in a panic when they found out you were poking around on Tuchanka.”

“Really?’ Finn asked, surprised. “Why?”

“Finn.” Kyra said, rolling her eyes.

“It’s a good question.” He persisted. “I mean, really, why me? You can’t tell me they still view me as a threat.”

“Because you are only one man? Come now, Finn. Surely you know history better than that. One man changed the galaxy four-hundred years ago, as I’m sure Miss Shepard knows all too well. He had help, of course, but there’s no denying that we’d live in a vastly different universe had he been a different kind of person.”

“Shepard.” Glen muttered. “I know that name.”

“Everyone knows that name.” Ghales eyes fell on Finn once again. “And now, another name is beginning to be whispered in the shadows, that of the brave soul who crossed the galaxy to warn the Council, only to be ignored, just like Shepard. You are trouble, and the Illusive Man recognizes the threat you represent all too well.”

“Well, you got me.” Finn said, spreading his arms. “Now what?”

“Now I turn you over to Cerberus.” He snapped his fingers. A Cerberus assassin appeared seemingly out of nowhere. From the contours of the body suit, she was definitely female.

“And before you get hopeful,” Ghales said, a grim smile on his face. “I made sure Cerberus knew one of their number was an imposter.”

“Then you haven’t caught her yet.” Eri said, the turian equivalent of a smile forming across his face.

Ghales’ expression faltered, but only for a moment. “It’s only a matter of time.”

Glen let out a loud snort. “Really?”

“Excuse me?” Ghales asked, a note of uncertainty in his voice.

“Could you be any more cliché?” Glen said with a chuckle. “The monologuing, letting us get this far when you could’ve set a trap at any other point and caught us off-guard, the robes.”

“I don’t follow.” Ghales said, though it was clear he was starting to anger.

Finn caught a subtle movement from the assassin; she pulled her glove back ever so slightly, revealing a slender red-scaled wrist that made Finn smile at the irony. Making sure that all eyes were still on Glen or Ghales, Finn shifted closer to Kyra and took her hand. She glanced at him, at which he nodded slightly at the assassin. Seeing her eyes reach Hylia’s exposed wrist, Finn moved her hand slowly to the grip of the carnifex at his side. She was a better shot, after all. Her eyes widened, but she replied with a nod and breathed, “I’m ready.”

“Wait for the signal.” Finn breathed back.

“And Really?” Glen continued, “An untrustworthy advisor to the krogan king? Is there anything about you that’s not a horrible cliché? Why not throw us a ‘mwahaha’?”

“I have you and your friends trapped, and am about to start executing unnecessary prisoners, and you find this funny? Do you realize your position, or do you think someone will save you?”

“It’s not my position you should be worrying about.” Glen told him, a wide grin on her face. “If I were you, I’d be much more concerned about Jake.”

“Jake?” Ghales asked moments before Jake hopped out of the top of a stack of crates and landed on the krogan Councilor’s face.

What ensued was complete chaos. Kyra drew the carnifex and put a shot straight through the eye of the krogan holding a weapon on her brother. The nearest krogan started up the ramp, only to dive for cover as Eri opened fire. One made a mistake of diving into Glen, who caught him easily and hurled him into a stack of crates which promptly collapsed on him. Scarlet had drawn her own sidearm, a sleek Mschens model with a blue laser sight, and was covering Amber and Azure as they took cover.

Finn, meanwhile, quickly moved through the fight to the controls for the ramp and activated the retraction program. A few krogan rushed the ramp before it pulled away, several taking shots from Eri in the process. The krogan outside continued firing after thebay doors slid shut, the dull thuds of their bullets sounding like particularly loud rain.

One made the mistake of approaching Azure and Amber. Azure still looked to unsteady to defend herself properly, but before Finn could move to assist, Amber launched herself at the krogan, screaming quarian obscenities as she demonstrated a surprising knowledge of krogan anatomy. Even Azure seemed surprised as Amber drove the surprised krogan back.

Hylia flipped over the majority of the group and stood between them and the few krogan who made it up the ramp before the bay doors closed. She drew the katana and held it at the ready, motioning with her other hand for one of the krogan to try and take her on.

Kyra hovered uncertainly just behind her. “You need help?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Hylia took a swipe at a krogan who thought Kyra had distracted her. “There are more on the bridge!”

“We’ll take care of them.” Kyra said. “Finn!”

“Coming, milady.” Finn called back. He picked up a large wrench from Noir’s toolbox before meeting Kyra and the lift. With a final look at Jake, who was giving Ghales regular electric shocks as he clamped tightly over the krogan’s face, Finn and Kyra stepped into the lift.

 

The two krogan on the bridge opened fire the moment the lift doors opened. As the dust settled, they peered inside to find nothing: no blood, no bodies, no indication of anything except a wireframe orb in the center of the lift. The krogan realized their mistake just as the orb let out a small electrical discharge, shocking both of them until they fell to the floor.

Krogan are hearty folk, however, and while the blast would’ve taken out pretty much any other humanoid, it merely stunned them for a few moments. As one of the krogan tried to push himself off the ground, he found himself staring at the barrel of his own shotgun.

“I’m not a good shot.” Finn said, “But at this range, I probably don’t need to be. Now hold still.”

“You’re gonna regret messing with the Blood Pack.” The krogan muttered as Kyra bound his hands and feet before moving on to the krogan who was still stunned. “We’ll hunt you across the galaxy!”

“Gee.” Finn said, his voice thick with sarcasm. “I wonder what that’s gonna be like.”

Kyra stood and wiped her hands. “See? Much easier than killing them.”

“Indeed. What was that thing anyway? Did you make it?”

“Nah.” She said as she retrieved the orb. “Hylia let me borrow it.No place to hide it on the Cerberus uniform.”

Finn hurried to the sensor controls. “That’s it; these two, and the ones in the cargo hold. Looks like Hylia locked out the other decks.”

“Good job, Hylia.” Kyra peered at the sensors over Finn’s shoulder. “We should head back.”

Finn started to follow when his omni-tool began to beep. When he checked it, his jaw dropped. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“Finn?” Kyra asked, her hand on his as she peered over his shoulder. “Is something wrong?”

He took a deep breath and said, “The analysis of the Blood of the Krogan is complete. Integration of data with that of the other medallions is complete.”

Meeting her eyes, he told her, “The League of One’s Vault is in the mountain ruins. Kyra, it’s where we crashed when we first got here! We must’ve been right over the Vault the whole time!”


	26. Race to the Finish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Meridia makes its daring escape as the krogan, the Saints, and the mysterious asari ships battle it out in the skies above the krogan fortress.

The chaos of the earlier fight was over by the time Finn and Kyra returned to the cargo bay of the Meridia. Hylia cleaned her katana with one of Auren’s dresses as she perched on top of a dead krogan with only one arm. Two other krogan sat against the nearest wall, the first unconscious and the second covered with deep slashes. Both were bound and gagged with what Finn assumed were yet more of Auren’s extra clothes. Several krogan were near Glen as well, seemingly welded to the wall. Some hit the walls with whatever limb wasn’t currently attached to the bulkhead, but Glen didn’t acknowledge them.

Amber and Azure sat in the corner, the former still fussing over the latter. Finn noted, however, that they were holding hands, and their hushed conversation seemed oddly krogan free considering the condition of the hold. The krogan Amber had rushed lay unconscious in the corner, his limbs twitching every few moments, clearly not a threat anymore.

Jake was standing on the hooded head of Councilor Ghales, whose smug smile was nowhere to be seen. This may have been because of Noir and Scarlet, who stood at either side of the heavy plastic barrel that now pinned the krogan’s arms at his sides.

Glen winced as he approached. “That’s Crytek plastic, too. They use the stuff in starship shipyards to keep the frame in place until the landing gear is finished.”

“Laugh all you want, Cresste.” Ghales snapped. “You’ll never stop Cerberus.”

Rolling his eyes, Finn said, “Did it even occur to you that maybe my reason for coming here had nothing to do with Cerberus? That maybe, just maybe, I was here for another reason?”

“That’s impossible.” Ghales said flatly. “Of course you came here to deal with them.”

“I didn’t even know Cerberus was behind what was going on here until one of their assassins tried to stab me. If they had simply stayed in the shadows, I’d never have known.” Shaking his head, Finn said, “Now, as much as I’d like to keep you prisoner for my boss, Glen here has been teaching me a bit about the nature of good and evil. When you have one bad guy working with a bigger bad guy, the smaller bad guy is almost always being used.”

“What?” Ghales barked.

Glen nodded approvingly. “That’s right. Frankly, I could spot it from a mile away. I don’t know what you thought you were getting from these Cerberus people, but I’d bet my rune all you’d get is a bullet in your ten-spot.” She held her finger to the side of her head and mimicked firing a gun, complete with the ‘bshh’ sound. “What did he promise you, anyway?”

“Immortality.” Said Ghales, only for Glen to start laughing again.

“Cliché to the end.”

“What I’m saying,” Finn said, “Is that I’m pretty sure I’ve got all the info I need from you, as I doubt the Illusive Man trusted you with anything about his actual plans.”

The glowering look the krogan shot him was all the proof he needed. “So now what? Will you kill me? Strike me down, and-”

“If he says he’ll become more powerful than you could imagine, I’m gonna lose it.” Glen said, her eyes dancing with laughter.

Chuckling at the dark look on Ghales face, Finn said, “I’m letting you go. We’ll be leaving now, and I don’t want the extra weight bogging us down. We’ll get a little distance from-“

Three loud knocks sounded through the cargo bay. Someone was knocking on the cargo bay doors. That was when Finn realized the firing had stopped.

“Or maybe not. Just in case, everyone should get away from the cargo doors and take cover.” He moved to the console. Kyra joined him as he activated the ramp.

“Are you sure about Ghales?” She asked quietly.

“Yeah. Look, this is our only way off the planet, and we’re already crowded as it is. If we were in the Ukaroh, I’d toss him in the freezer, but now, I’d rather not carry him around.”

“He could send ships after us.” She stopped and rubbed her forehead. “Which is probably going to happen anyway, right. Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek, bringing a small smile to her lips. “Liara will likely give me hell over it. Javik definitely will. C’mon; let’s take cover.”

They hid behind the console as the cargo doors opened and the ramp extended. Peering over the console, Finn saw Violet and Auren walk up the ramp, rifles in hand.

“Eww.” Violet said at the sight of the dismembered krogan corpse. Her gaze turned to the other krogan: those welded to the wall, those bound by dresses, and Councilor Ghales. “Looks like we missed the party.”

Auren let out an anguished cry. As she rushed to where piles of her clothes now lay, covered with broken bits of wood, dirt, and in some cases blood, Finn realized that none of her spare wardrobes had survived.

“My dresses.” She said mournfully. “All my pretty things, ruined!”

Sighing, Violet said, “Priorities, Auren. Where is Noir?”

“Here.” Noir said, standing up from his hiding place with Scarlet. Everyone else left there cover as well.

Violet slung her rifle and said, “Looks like we’re all here. Nice work with the krogan.”

Her eyes fell on Glen, who was already helping Hylia carry the bound krogan out of the cargo bay.

“Long story.” Finn said. “Give me a hand with the Councilor here.”

Since his feet were still kicking, the ended up binding them with a strong bit of cable and rolling him out of the cargo bay. The bodies of the other krogan guards lay outside, no doubt ambushed by Violet and Auren while the krogan attempted to reopen the cargo bay.

“I’ll make you pay!” Ghales shouted as Finn, Jake, Kyra, and Violet shoved him under a hanar ship.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Jake said, pausing a moment to kick dust in the dizzy krogan’s face before hurrying after the others.

Scarlet waited for them in the center of the cargo bay. As Finn approached with the others, he caught a quick glimpse of Amber helping Azure into the lift.

“Azure’s going to have a lie-down.” Scarlet said, noting his gaze. “After Amber runs a quick bio-scan on her.”

“Fair enough.” Finn said, “Look we need to get moving; the vault’s back in the ruins.”

“The ruin in the mountain?” Noir asked, surprised.

“Yup. We were right on top of it. Irony, huh?” Sighing, he said, “Fortunately, it sounds like they’re still having trouble up there, so maybe they’ll be too busy to notice us.”

Scarlet nodded. “I agree. How would you suggest we proceed?”

“Me?” Finn asked, not hiding his surprise. “This is your ship, your treasure. I’m just helping, remember?”

“But you got the Blood of the Krogan! We’d probably be still be stuck in a cell without you!” She stopped and looked down at Noir’s hand as it held hers fast. His cheeks were dark, but he continued to match her gaze.

“You are the leader of Siren’s Call.” He told her. “Just let us know what you need us to do.”

Gratitude shone from her eyes as she took Noir’s hand in both of hers. “Thank you, Gavin.”

“Gavin?” Jake said, laughter in his voice. “Your real name is Gavin?”

Rolling his eyes, Finn gave Jake a small kick in the hind-quarters, making him yip and run away.

“Okay.” Scarlet said, “Noir, Kyra, I’d like you to go to the engine room in case anything goes wrong. Violet, I’ll need you on sensors. Auren …”

Auren didn’t respond; she was still looking through the remnants of her wardrobes. Finn hid his grin; he could tell she was looking for something, something he was certain she wouldn’t find.

“Just keep doing that.” Scarlet said, a hint of a smile crossing her face. “Finn, you’ll take the helm while Violet handles the sensors. We still need someone to handle weapons.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Eri told her. “It’d be nice to have something meaningful to do for a change.”

“Thank you, Eri.” She paused for a moment. “That leaves Glen, Jake, and Hylia.”

“Oh, don’t worry about us.” Glen said as she and Hylia tossed out the last bound krogan. “We’ll find something to do.”

Nodding, Scarlet motioned for the others to follow her. Kyra gave Finn a kiss on the cheek before hurrying after Noir.

As they assumed their positions on the bridge, Scarlet glanced at the panels at her chair and said, “Looks like someone’s attacking the fortress from the outside. No registry on the vessels. The krogan are holding them off, but only barely.”

“Hang on.” Finn said, snapping his fingers. “Let’s shake things up a bit.”

“Finn?” Scarlet asked.

“Just play along.” Finn activated his internal comm and said, “Hey, Boss! You still listening?”

There was only a brief pause before the deep masculine voice replied, “See? I knew you’d make it out easy. How’d you know it was me anyway?”

“Easy. Jake and I spent plenty of time with the Saints. Since I’m sure Kinsie was recording everything, she’d have plenty of samples to patch together a voice mask that could imitate him. Besides, she’s one of the few people who could manage to hack a Kaboume model internal communications link. Isn’t that right, Kinsie?”

A sheepish female voice said, “Er, yes. Sorry, Finn.”

“Not a problem. Listen, are you attacking a krogan fortress right now?”

“No. Why? We missin’ something fun?”

“Oh, not much. We found the location of the League of One’s treasure, and I’m guessing the Councilor friend you mentioned is trying to get here first. I figured you’d want to know.”

“WHAT? Pierce, get us there, now!”

Finn glanced at his omni-tool in anticipation until the ping registered, giving the Saints his exact location. Smiling, he disabled the ping function and turned off his omni-tool.

“Right,” The Boss said, “Thanks for the tip. No helping yourself to the treasure before we get there.”

“No promises, Boss.” Finn deactivated his comm and nodded at Scarlet. “Okay, ready to go. Shall we launch?”

“Make it so.” She said, smiling and shaking her head. “By the Ancestors, you certainly know how to cause a ruckus.”

“Oh, just you wait.” He said as he brought the flight systems online. “The day is still young.”

The Meridia rose from the hanger bay and rocketed into the center of the facility. The battle was just creeping into the fortress, the krogan vessels far too intent on their defense to pay much attention to the Meridia.

“Asari.” Scarlet commented. “The ships attacking the krogan are mostly asari.”

Finn raised his eyebrow at this, but said nothing. He guided the Merida away from the brunt of the battle, hoping to avoid attracting too much attention. They drew a little fire, mostly from the krogan, but the Meridia’s shields kept damage at a minimum.

As they neared the lip of the opening, Violet said, “Incoming vessels, registries all over the place.”

“Sounds like the Saints are about to come marching in.” Finn said.

Sure enough, the Saints ships, their makes diverse but all vividly purple and gold, descended on the battling asari and krogan ships, raining fire upon them … literally, in some cases.

Now out of the fortress, Finn altered his course and pushed the engines to their maximum.

“Uh, Finn?” Scarlet said, her brow furrowed. “You’re going the wrong way.”

“I know.” Finn told her. “We’ve got company. Violet?”

“Ten asari vessels and six others, probably the Saints.” Violet called out.

“On it.” Eri said, turning his attention to the controls.

The Meridia didn’t have much in the way of weapons, being designed more for speed than for combat, but it did have a pair of ion cannons. Eri directed this cannons with surprising accuracy; it only took him three shots to nail the first ship with an ion burst, frying its engines and sending it into a downward spiral.

He wasn’t the only one firing on the asari, however; doors slid open on the Saints vessels, revealing gang members bearing heavy weaponry, taking out more than a few with everything from bullets and fire to blasts of electricity and exploding octopi. More than one asari ship dropped with the beat of the dubstep gun.

They were flying through a part of the old city filled with crumbling roads and ancient skyscrapers. Finn wove through the roads and buildings, trying his best to shake off some of the pursuers.

Finn shot the ship through a massive hole in one building and promptly brought the Meridia into a vertical climb, shaking more than a few of the pursuers.

“What’s the count?” Finn asked.

“Six ships.” Violet paused as Eri let out a loud whoop. “Five ships; three saints, two krogan.”

“Okay.” Finn muttered. “Let’s see them follow this!”

A cluster of roads lay before them. Finn guided the Meridia over and around the roads, sometimes scraping against the ancient concrete before slipping through an opening barely big enough for them. He lost his bearings partly, focusing more on navigating the ruined city than where he was actually going.

“Finn!” Scarlet said, clutching her seat as Finn spun under an overpass.

“I’ll shake ‘em!” Finn said. Try as he might, however, the Saints hung on his tail. They were firing incacitating weapons now, which left swaths of ice and glowing fields across the ancient ruins they hit.

“Violet, can we use the Reyl emitter?” Scarlet asked, hands gripping the arm wrests of her chair.

“The what?” Finn asked.

“It’s a prototype pulse cannon that fires an intense EMP blast surrounding the ship.” Scarlet said, “It’s how we knocked out the Kalros.”

Violet hurried over to Eri’s console. After a few moments, she shook her head and said, “Not a chance. Whole circuit was fried the first time we used it. We could fix it, but it’d take hours.”

“Don’t think we have that long.” Eri said.

Finn kept his focus, continuing his mad attempts to shake off the remaining Saints. Unfortunately, they were running out of roads and buildings. Soon, they were out in the open, exposed as the three remaining Saints ships closed in on them.

Just as Finn considered heading through the interlacing web of roads again when energy fire came from apparently nowhere, destroying two of the Saints ships in the first burst and the third as it tried to turn away.

“What was that?” Scarlet asked, the relief in her voice almost overtaken by shock.

Violet returned to her console. “I’m not detecting any … wait! There’s a ship! It just appeared next to us!”

Finn glanced up at the view screen and grinned. “Billy!”

The sleek form of the prototype fighter spun once before taking a position beside the Meridia. “Don’t worry; I’ll cover you the rest of the way.”

“Much appreciated!” Finn glanced at the others on deck. “Looks like Billy made the save this time.”

“Billy?” Scarlet asked.

Eri leaned forward on his console and said, “Billy’s the consciousness of the last of the geth trapped in a …”

He stopped, no doubt noticing the nature of the looks he was getting from Scarlet and Violet. “Y’know what? Never mind. He’s just a friend of ours.”

“Who happens to be geth.” Scarlet said, sounding too tired to be surprised. “Well, that’s nice.”

“Ain’t it, though?” Shaking his head, Finn asked, “Hey, Billy, Where’s the Ulasomorf?”

“Dealing with another mission at the moment.” Billy told him. “I will need to return to them shortly, I’m afraid.”

“Well, thanks for the save, man. When you get back, let Liara know that hopefully we’ll have this done with in time for supper.”

“Certainly, Finn. For the record, I am glad to find you well.”

“As well as ever, Billy.” His spirits high, Finn set a course for the mountain ruins and started the Meridia moving toward what he hoped would be the resolution of his little adventure.


	27. Long Live the King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Primarch Jorgal has a heart-to-heart chat with Wrex Urdnot.

Primarch Jorgal hurried through the stone hallways, his kraant surrounding him the entire way. While the Primarch was angry, he was also afraid that what he had feared was about to come to pass. Fortunately, he was prepared.

"They've breached the fortress!" Shouted a panicked voice in his earpiece. "Is the Primarch at the meeting ground?"

"Keep this channel clear." His lead bodyguard barked. "Someone could be listening!"

The stone hallways were filled with dust with each explosion. The Primarch coughed as they hurried onward, navigating the maze of corridors until they reached the meeting ground.

It was set in the center of the compound, directly beneath the opening in the dome. In ancient times, it was a burial ground; ancient krogan were laid to rest beneath dirt and stone. Because of this, it was considered a sacred place.

As they hurried to the center of the chamber, one of the Primarch's guards said, "We'll send a few guards through first, just in case-"

"I will go first." The Primarch said haughtily.

"Primarch, it is just a precaution. The enemy could-"

The primarch pulled the shotgun from another guard's surprised hands and blasted the offending krogan in the face. As the guard's body slumped to the ground, the Primarch looked to the other guards. Shock, horror, and even resentment filled the eyes of his retinue, but he cared little about their feelings; their job was to protect him, and they would do well to remember who it was who called the shots.

"I will go first." The Primarch said slowly. "Is that understood?"

In response, the guards moved away from the central platform. Primarch Jorgal moved swiftly forward, careful to keep an eye on his guards as he ascended the steps. He always suspected a traitor in his court; after the disaster with the stew, he was certain. It was unfortunate that the disrespectful chef was nowhere to be found; he would've enjoyed using the traitor to set an example.

Once he stood in the center of the platform, he stamped his foot three times against the stone. Immediately, the platform descended into the dirt, a metal disc sliding over the hole above him and blocking his guards from view. Only then did he lower the shotgun and let out a sigh of relief.

The platform led to a capsule big enough for one krogan of his size. He clambered into the pod, only to discover the door wouldn't close. The shotgun, a bulky Boarsis model, was too big to fit in the pod with him, even if he let it rest over his legs. The only way he could fit both it and him in the pod would be to remove his ceremonial headpiece, but he refused to part with that.

With a grunt, he tossed the rifle to the ground before climbing into the pod. As the door clicked shut, a holographic screen displaying a countdown timer appeared in front of Jorgal's eyes. He tensed as the timer counted down to three … two … one.

A jolt shook the pod as it launched, flying down a pre-set track Jorgal had ordered his engineers to construct beneath the city. He winced at every bump, wishing he had left a few of the engineers alive to punish for not understanding what he meant when he said 'a smooth ride'.

A sense of easy fell over him as the muffled explosions faded from his hearing. He had escaped; the assault on the fortress was definitely Wrex's doing, no doubt the former Primarch's attempt to dethrone Jorgal. After everything he had done, after all the tricks and ploys, and the assistance of his Councilor Ghales, he was not about to lose his throne to Urdnot.

Just thinking about the previous Primarch filled Jorgal's gut with hatred. Consorting with the lesser species was bad enough, but allowing the female krogan so many liberties while denying the krogan the empire they deserved was too much. He had waited, oh yes; for centuries, he had waited, moving his pieces into place and waiting for the opportunity to oust Wrex and take his place as the true leader of the krogan. Councilor Ghales and his costumed kooks had proven most useful on that count; the mere threat of Cerberus had sent Wrex running for the Council.

Cerberus. The idea made Jorgal laugh; everyone knew Cerberus had fallen with the Reapers, destroyed by that upstart Shepard. He still remembered the sight of the so-called hero, his body bandaged and broken while that fool Bont patched him back together, the human's quarian mate hanging on his arm like a hatchling grasping at its mother. This was the hero of whom Wrex thought so highly? It would've made him laugh had it not angered him so.

The pod slowed as it neared its destination. Anticipating freedom from both the pod and his fear, Jorgal waited until the pod came to a complete halt and the door opened, revealing a small room with another circular platform.

Once he was out of the pod, he pulled a grenade out of a small compartment in his armor. This was his secret weapon, his 'ace in the hole' as he once heard a human describe it. With a snort, he pressed the button and tossed it into the pod before sending it back to the domed fortress. The pod swiftly slid away; a few moments after it disappeared from sight, a slight tremor shook the ground. No one would be following him, he thought happily as he walked onto the platform and waited for it to rise.

When it did, it brought him to his throne room. The room was empty, though Jorgal expected this; at his earlier command, an alarm within the same complex had sounded, drawing all of the room's guards away from the chamber so he could activate his safe-room protocol. The guards could guard him just as well from outside while he waited for the trouble to pass.

As he sat down on his throne, he let out a sigh. The Kalros, now repaired, would reduce the fortress rubble while he waited. It would kill countless krogan, but he was certain it would take Wrex with it. The thought brought a smile to his face as he closed his eyes.

A slow clap made his eyes fly open. He sat up in his throne, demanding, "Who's there?"

"Forget me already, Jorgal?" A large shadow stepped out from the shadow of the locked doorway, his armor red, but not the red of the blood pack. No, this was an even deeper red, like that of blood coming from a critical wound. His scarred face was all too familiar.

"Wrex!" Jorgal whispered, fingers digging into the stone armrests as his fists clenches. "What trickery is this?"

"I don't need trickery to deal with you." Wrex retorted, stopping a few feet from the throne. "All I needed was the help of the 'lesser species' you keep spitting on. Isn't that right, Liara?"

Liara T'soni appeared with a small shimmer as her cloaking field deactivated. She stood at the back entrance of the throne, guarding the closed door with a geth plasma pistol. She didn't speak; her focus was solely on Jorgal.

Jorgal turned to the only remaining exit, only to find it blocked by Jan'Ce. He stared at the human-turian hybrid as she smiled back at him, showing her perfect white teeth.

"How?" Jorgal demanded, his eyes bugging out slightly. "How did you get past the blockade? How did you know I'd be here?"

"Y'know, it's kinda funny." Wrex said, strolling forward. "It's all thanks to someone named Finn."

"Finn?" Jorgal repeated. "But I didn't …"

"No, not you. Not Jorgal Finn, the whiny traditionalist who couldn't even bring himself to face me, who had to resort to stealing my title. No, it was a human named Finn Cresste."

"Cresste?" Jorgal repeated. Almost immediately, he had a mental image of Tuck's assistant. "Eggars?"

"It was easy to slip through the hole in the blockade, especially after he and his friends took out the Kalros." Wrex let out a loud laugh. "I'll be damned if I know how he managed that one, but I'm sure Liara will let me know."

"Of course." Liara said smoothly. "Anything to help a friend."

"But that was you!" Jorgal said, nearly shouting now. "You destroyed my blockade! You stopped the Kalros."

"Shut up, you slimy little pyjak." Wrex spat. "I wasn't even in the sector at the time. Fortunately, Liara found out about it and got me back into my space before those morons you posted at the border could regroup."

The asari woman was staring at Jorgal now, her eyes not on his face, but slightly above. Her brow furrowed, as though what she saw struck her as slightly off.

Jorgal's breathing was heavy now as he fought to find a way out. "You attacked the Grast Meeting Ground!"

"No idea what's going on over there." Wrex said, waving a hand as though to dismiss it. "I'll deal with it once I've dealt with you. I gotta say, though, I owe whoever it was my thanks; we were figuring we'd have to do somethin' to get you to run and hide here. Who says life ain't fair, eh"

Jorgal was finding it hard to concentrate; the turian mutant was now staring above him in the same manner as the asari, a disbelieving smile on her lips. What were they looking at?

As Wrex took another step toward him, Jorgal demanded, "How did you know I'd be here? I kept it secret! I killed the people who built it just to be sure!"

"Not all of them." Wrex shook his head, his expression almost sorrowful. "Slaughtering your own, just so you could stay in power for a few more minutes. Well, I hope it was worth it."

"Wait!" Jorgal said, trying to back through his throne, "I still wear the headpiece! I am the leader of the krogan, and you must obey me! The Blood of the Krogan demands it!"

Shaking his head, Wrex took another step forward.

Jorgal pulled his knife from his belt and took a wild swing at Wrex, only for Wrex to catch his arm and bring his elbow down on it with a sickening crack.

Wailing in pain, Jorgal tried to swing his other arm, only to find it pinned into place against the armrest by Wrex's massive foot. He whimpered as Wrex pulled out his shotgun and took aim. With one shot, Jorgal knew no more.

Liara and Jan'Ce approached Wrex as he knelt beside the corpse of the usurper.

"Was it necessary to kill him?" Liara asked, eyeing the body with obvious distaste.

"'Fraid so. At least it'll shut up the traditionalists. Can't get more traditional than that." Wrex frowned as he noticed the same thing that had caught the attention of Liara and Jan'Ce earlier. He reached down and pulled the ceremonial headpiece from the dead krogan and stared at the Blood of the Krogan … or at least what was supposed to be the blood of the krogan. With a little effort, he pulled out the object; it was a black ball completely covered with red paint save for a slight indention on one side. The number eight could just be made out beneath the red paint on the opposite side.

Liara chuckled. "I remember seeing Shepard with one of these. Some kind of novelty toy he bought Tali from a junk shop on Omega. Not sure why someone painted this one red, though."

"It's a magic eight ball." Jan'Ce said, nodding. "You shake it and it supposedly answers questions about the future."

"No kidding." Wrex said, sounding amused. He looked down at Jorgal's dead body, "Shame he didn't use it himself. He might have had some chance of success."

He tossed the ball in the air and caught it easily. The dice within the ball floated up to the indentation, the tiny letters spelling the words, "Very Doubtful."


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crews of the Ulasomorf and the Meridia search for the hidden entrance to the sanctuary of the League of One. Finn's group is the first to find it, two friends that haven't been seen in awhile, and some decidedly less friendly people.

The crew of the Meridia met in the cargo bay once the Merida landed in the ruins. Even Azure made it, looking at least a little steadier than she had earlier. Amber remained at her side, watching her with a concerned eye.

"All right." Scarlet said, looking around at the crowd. "Thanks in no small part to our newer allies, we find ourselves at the threshold of our reward. The coordinates provided by the medallions show the Vault of the League of One is somewhere in this section of the ruin, but they aren't specific enough to pinpoint it exactly. We'll need to search the nearby area quickly, so I suggest we break into teams of no more than two."

Kyra said, "Noir and I are gonna stay behind. The ship's still pretty damaged, and we'd like to make sure it'll be able to get us out of here once you've located the vault."

Scarlet nodded in agreement. "I'd like to suggest that Azure and Amber remain behind."

As Azure opened her mouth, Scarlet said, "No arguments; you still need rest. Besides, I'd like somebody on the bridge monitoring the sensors, and we might need Amber to fly us out of here if something goes wrong."

Sighing, Azure said, "Fine. We'll stay here."

Amber squeezed her hand and smiled reassuringly at Azure, who blushed slightly.

Scarlet looked at the rest of the group. "So everybody else needs to pair up."

"I'm going with Finn!" Jake ran over to his brother and stood beside him, wagging his tail end.

Finn smiled and rubbed the top of Jake's monitor. "I'm cool with that."

A smile on her face, Scarlet said, "Fair enough. Take Auren with you as well, just in case."

"Mmm." Auren said, eyeing Finn appreciatively. "No argument here."

"Auren." Kyra said, giving her former team mate a warning look.

Scarlet continued, "That leaves Violet with Eri and Glen with me. Noir?"

"Yes, ma'am?" Noir said.

"Close the ramp after we leave; I don't want to risk the Meridia being taken by surprise again."

He looked like he wanted to argue, but ultimately just nodded and said, "You've got it."

She must've noticed his discomfort. Smiling at him reassuringly, she said, "We'll be careful."

"That reminds me." Finn said, snapping his fingers. "Could I get a radio? My internal comm might as well be an FM radio at this point."

Noir pulled the radio off his belt and tossed it to Finn. "Here you go, man. We could disable your internal comm for the moment if you want."

"Nah." Finn said as he clipped the radio to his belt. "Might come in handy."

Nodding, Scarlet said, "We should hurry; Finn's deception should buy us some time, but the other treasure hunters will likely not be fooled for long. If you find something, radio the others immediately before you investigate. It is likely the League left a few surprises for those who were after their treasure."

She looked around the cargo bay, her eyes resting on each of them. "Thank you. Thank all of you. We wouldn't have gotten this far without each and every one of you. Now let's go find the Vault so we can go home."

Kyra flashed Finn a smile as she, Noir, Azure, and Amber headed for the lift. Finn returned her smile before patting the side of his leg. "C'mon, Jake. Let's get going."

Finn, Auren, and Jake were the last to leave the Meridia. As the ramp lifted, Finn saw Kyra give him a quick wave, which he returned.

"Well." Auren said, grabbing his arm. "Shall we?"

Trying hard to suppress a smirk, Finn replied, "Let's."

They walked down the stairs that wound around the raised platform, Jake walking a few feet ahead with his face to the ground. He was making exaggerated sniffing noises, as though thinking he could somehow smell the ruins. Finn didn't say anything; at that point, nothing seemed truly strange anymore.

"So." Auren said, still hugging Finn's arm. "We're alone."

"So we are." Finn said, smiling at her.

She gave him a languid smile. "Y'know, I'm glad I could finally get you all to myself."

"I was thinking the same thing." Finn's smile grew wider.

She looked up at him, a slight measure of surprise in her eyes. "Oh? Problems with little Kyra?"

"Not at all." He told her, patting her arm. "If anything, my feelings for her are stronger than ever."

"Oh." She blushed, a knowing smile on her lips. "I understand. Sometimes a person needs a little time fooling around to truly appreciate their chosen one."

As her hand sneaked across Finn's chest, he said, "Not at all. I'm just glad to finally speak with you in person for a change."

Her hand froze. "What do you mean? We've never spoken before."

"Not face to face, no." He said, gently moving her hand from his chest. "Still, seeing as the Saints hijacked my internal comm, I suppose you had no other choice … did you, Hikari?"

"Oh." To Finn's surprise, she didn't pull away from him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not telling the others."

They continued to the base of the stairway. Hopping onto the ancient stone tiles, Jake said, "We're getting closer! I'm sure of it!"

"Cool." Finn said. "Lead the way."

As Jake fell back into his own little world, Aurenasked, "How long have you known?"

"I suspected for a while, but I wasn't sure until I found this in the remains of one of your wardrobes." He pulled the small plastic jar of gray facepaint from his tool belt and handed it to her.

"Ah." She said, taking the jar. "I had a feeling. And before then?"

"There were a few little things. The flower kimonos, the strange silences that only seemed to happen when Siren's Call was occupied, the way you diverted Azure from the cargo bay when she was about to find us. When you were surprised when I mentioned that 'Jake' told me the Meridia was in orbit, I started putting the pieces together. Why did you have a problem with Glen, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I was getting odd interference; I suspected someone was listening in, and since she just happened to be there …" She glanced at Finn. "You have to admit, she's been a bit strange."

"No argument there."

They walked among several tall columns surrounding one of the massive krogan statues, following Jake more by instinct than by any real motivation. Jake sniffed at each pillar for a moment before moving to the next.

"I admire your commitment." Finn said. "You really look like a quarian."

"Well, it's good body tint." She said, chuckling. "Spared no expense. It wouldn't do me much good if it wore off easily. The rest, well …"

She raised the hem of her yellow dress until Finn could see the seam on her thigh.

"Cybernetic implants?" Finn said as she pulled up her sleeve to reveal another seam near her elbow.

"An accident when I was a little girl." She told him. "They couldn't grow new ones until I was fully grown, and by that time, I realized how useful it was to be able to alter one's appearance. Dad didn't like it, but Mum approved. She was the last Goto, and why we were able to live so comfortably, so he wasn't about to start an argument. Besides, he's still smitten with her."

"Goto isn't really a gang, is it?" Finn asked, already knowing the answer.

"A gang of one." Auren said. "I can't take the credit for it, though; the rumors have been going around for awhile now, ever since that copycat on the Citadel. Of course, she left a rose as a sort of calling card … silly idea, even if the first Goto did the same when she first started. Leaving evidence is a good way to get caught. Kasumi knew that it was more important to be good than to be famous."

Auren let out a sigh. "I'll admit, though … being a part of Siren's Call has been … fulfilling. I'd never worked with a group before; it just makes it easier to get caught. Still, these quarians … they're like family, especially Scarlet. The dancing was kind of fun too."

She let her head rest on Finn's arm. "I'm going to miss them when this is over."

After a few moments of silence, Finn said, "Well, does it really have to end?"

She blushed, the faint hint of red on her tinted cheeks. "Come on, Finn. When they get the payout, Siren's Call is gone. Oh, don't look at me like that; I wasn't going to take all the treasure, just the shiniest trinkets."

"Uh-huh."

She made a face at him. "Seriously, why would they want to keep up the dancing farce when they had the money to do whatever they wanted?"

"Kyra joined Siren's Call before she even knew about Scarlet's plan." Finn said."She just loved to dance. She still loves to sing, and she's damn good at it too. Did it ever occur to you that maybe she wasn't the only one? You say you've come to know them. Am I wrong? I mean, they've been with her for, what; four years?"

"Five for me, Azure, and Violet." Auren said, looking thoughtful. "The Breath of the Forest was our first real heist, and it was only last year."

"There you go. Besides, it's not like Siren's Call doesn't have a following. The barkeep at the Bowerstone Pub was expecting a massive crowd. I missed the performance, so you tell me; how was the turnout?"

"The pub was packed." She said, a smile crossing her face.

"Exactly. I only saw you perform on Neukara, but you all seemed happy. Not one smile on that stage seemed forced. Hell, that place was packed too. Tell me truthfully; how do you feel about dancing with Siren's Call?"

"It … it feels …" Her blush was clearly visible as she said, "It feels exhilarating."

"Moreso than pulling off a heist?"

"Let's not get carried away." She said, though she smiled as she did.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is maybe this doesn't necessarily have to be the swan song for Siren's Call. You're Scarlet's friend, right?"

"Her best friend." Her smile widened. "Well, maybe just after Noir."

"And is that fake? Just part of the disguise?"

She let out a sigh. "No, it isn't. She's like a sister to me."

"Then tell her you don't want Siren's Call to end. I mean, travelling around is what people with money do anyway, right? Doing it for the sheer enjoyment instead of for a paycheck could only make more fun. Hell, you might even tell her the truth about you."

When she didn't respond, Finn added, "And hey; if I am right, who's to say you couldn't engage in a little heist as you danced your way around the galaxy? It would be tricky, yes, but that's just part of the fun, right? Goto would remain a whispered rumor while Siren's Call grows more and more famous."

"It does sound rather poetic." Auren said, a spark of interest in her eyes. "I'll have to think about it."

Jake stopped and sat upright, his screen flashing red. "Jackpot!"

"Jake?" Finn asked.

Without another word, Jake took off running.

Rolling his eyes, Finn said, "Come on."

"You think he's found something?" Auren asked.

"Maybe. Either way, I'd rather not get separated."

They followed Jake through the last few pillars and around the statue. He stopped just short of a thick growth of ivies on the back of the statue and shone his flashlight at the cluster of plants.

"There! There!" Jake barked repeatedly.

Nodding, Finn pulled out his radio and said, "Scarlet, Eri; looks like we might have something here. Looks like a hidden entrance hidden behind some plantlife."

"Understood." Scarlet replied moments later. "Wait there and see if you can detect any traps."

"Got it." As Finn clipped the radio to his belt, Auren grabbed his other arm. "Finn, look."

He looked where she indicated. It took a few moments to notice what she meant. The long ivy vines typically attach to whatever is around them via little creeper vines that latch the vine on some object. This can be anything that sits still for a long enough period, and most of the ivies near the ruin were latched on imperfections in the ancient stone. On closer inspection, however, a cluster of ivies that hung over the door weren't latched onto anything; the little creepers that had attached to the stone tiles had been torn free recently, so recently that sap from the vines still oozed from the severed parts of the creepers.

Auren mouthed, "Someone's been here already."

Nodding, Finn drew his carnifex and nodded at Jake. Jake readied himself as Finn drew the ivies out of the way.

Jake ran into the darkened passage as soon as it was open. He barked wildly; as before, he simply said 'bark' over and over again with what he must have thought was increasing ferocity until a loud, "Oww!" shot through the air.

"That wasn't Jake!" Finn said, eyes wide.

"No, Finn, wait for the others!" Auren made a grab for Finn's arm, but he was already rushing into the darkened corridor. In moments, he was shrouded in darkness, the light from Jake's monitor the only thing providing illumination.

"Jake!" Finn said, bending over to touch his little brother only for his head to contact something soft and warm. A gasp shot through the air, making him quickly pull back.

"The hell?" Finn said. "Jake, a little light please?"

The flashlight function of Jake's monitor activated, revealing Mannon and Darsan, the former blushing. Finn felt his cheeks grow warm as well when he realized the nature of the warm and soft things against which he had inadvertently stuck his head.

"Sherle!" Finn said, smiling despite the awkwardness of the situation. "Darsan! So this is where you've been-"

"Alarmed; Watch out, Finn! It's a-"

A jolt of electricity pulsed through Finn's body, making him convulse violently before falling to the ground.

As he lost consciousness, he heard Darsan say, "Continuing despondently; -a trap."


	29. Open Sesame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another faction emerges in the search of the League of One, but with no interest in the treasure; she wants revenge. Finn opens a door.

When Finn awoke, he found his hands bound behind his back … again. For once, however, he held back the sarcastic comment and left his eyes closed.  Slowly, he let his lids rise just enough for him to get a dim view of the room. It wasn’t easy; the only light came from the corridor.

As Finn’s eyes adjusted to the dim light, he took in his surroundings. It was a small circular chamber with a small platform in the center.  A large relief lined the walls, though it was too dark to make out much. A krogan statue, surprisingly life-like, stood directly opposite of the corridor that presumably led outside. It looked like it was guarding the chamber, though Finn suspected it was just his imagination.

He was sitting on the ground beside Mannon and Darsan.  Jake was there as well, an angry look on his face. Councilor Raine stood by herself while her associates held positions on either side of the doorway, as though waiting for someone else to arrive Finn counted five of them; five asari commandos.

Sherle shifted, her eyes on him.  She must’ve noticed he was awake. He shook his head ever so slightly, indicating that she shouldn’t acknowledge him just yet.

After a few  moments, she asked, “Why are you doing this?”

Councilor Raine didn’t look at her as she said, “Be quiet.”

“You’re part of the Council!” Mannon persisted. “I can’t believe you cleared this with the other Councilors.”

“This isn’t about the Council.” Raine said, still not looking at Mannon. “This is about justice.”

“Sarcastic; Funny.  You don’t look like a Justicar.”

Raine fixed Darsan with a venomous glare. “I said be quiet. Don’t make me stun you  like I stunned your friend.”

Silence filled the room for a few moments. Finn had an idea, but he couldn’t bring himself to try it just yet; better not to involve the Saints unless he just had to. A slight glance down showed what he feared to be true; his radio was gone, as was his pistol.

Finn was just considering giving up his ruse in the hopes of getting more information when he saw shadows in the corridor heading their way. He considered shouting a warning.

As though reading his mind, Councilor Raine hissed, “Make a sound and I will kill you here and now.”

Mannon’s eyes darted to Finn, who shook his head slightly again.

Jake noticed their exchange and took a tentative step toward Finn, only to scamper back at a glare from Raine. He held his distance, but it was clear he was waiting for her to lower her guard.

As the shadows grew nearer, Finn recognized the voices … or rather, the voice.  The thick Australian accent would be hard to forget.

“How much further?” The Boss asked, sounding more than a little annoyed.

 “Not far, Boss.” Finn recognized this voice as that of Johnnie Gat.  It didn’t surprise him; the Boss and Johnnie always seemed to go hand in hand.

“Good.  Christ, I hate spiders.  This treasure had better be-“

He stepped into the chamber.  The asari to the right of the door swung some kind of stun baton at the Boss’s head, only for the Boss to grab her wrist.

“Not today, love.” The Boss growled. Johnnie was the next to enter the room; he didn’t even flinch as the prod hit him in the chest.  After a momentary jolt, he grabbed the prod from the asari and snapped it like a twig. As the Saints fought the asari commandos, Finn expected Councilor Raine to try to assist.  She simply stood there, looking down her nose at the ensuing fight for a few moments before pulling out a small pad and tapping it.

Lights flared around the room; Finn clenched his eyes shut just in time to avoid being blinded. Something metal pressed against his hands; moments later, the tension on his bindings went slack. Finn caught the cut ends and held them fast; no reason to let anyone know he was free yet.

“Thanks, Jake.” Finn whispered, receiving a quiet “ruff” in reply as the metal sensation left him.

When he opened his eyes, Johnnie Gat was on one side of the room beside the body of one of the assassins, his pistol pointed straight at Councilor Raine, who held an ornate knife to the Boss’s throat.

“Johnnie.” The Boss said, his eyes on the knife. “Drop this bitch!”

Johnnie took aim, prompting Raine to prick the Boss’s neck.  Finn watched as Johnnie’s eyes followed the drop of blood down the Boss’s throat.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Johnnie threw his pistol to the floor. “Just so you know, I’m gonna shove that toothpick up your ass.”

“I highly doubt that.” Councilor Raine said, her voice dry. “Tie him up and put him next to the others.”

The remaining asari bound Johnnie and shoved him toward Finn.

“All right, all right!” He complained, “I’m going.”

As he knelt beside Finn, Johnnie said, “Hi, Finn.”

“Hey, Johnnie.” Finn replied in the same deadpan voice. “Things never really change, do they?”

“Nope.” He nodded at Raine. “Dibs on killing the Councilor.”

“Be quiet!” Councilor Raine snapped at them. “By the goddess, you humans like to talk.”

“Well, I’m a sucker for good conversation.” The Boss said, still held by the Councilor. “So what now?’

“Now you’re going to tell me how a bunch of low-life thugs found this place.”

“Here now!” The Boss said, “That’s not a nice thing to say about Finn.”

Finn let out a snort of laughter, inadvertently giving away his conscious state.

“Ah, Mister Cresste.” Councilor Raine said, eyes narrowing. “So you’ve been listening. I must confess, I’m very curious as to why the man who gave up his freedom to warn us about a supposed threat from the Reapers is travelling with a group of quarian thieves.  So much for noble sacrifice.”

“Lady, would you believe anything I told you?  You already think I’m a scoundrel, and I can’t say you’d be wrong. The real question is why a respected asari matriarch, the chosen representative of her race on the Council, is chasing the treasure of the League of One.”

“This isn’t about treasure!” She said, her cheeks purple. “It’s about justice.”

“Against the League of One?” Finn asked incredulously, “They’ve been dead for centuries!”

“Time isn’t relevant!” She said. “They must pay for their crimes.”

“Careful, Finn.” The Boss said, twirling a finger around his ear. “Got a nutter here.”

“Shut up!” She said. “I’ve waited for this day since before you monkeys even managed to stumble upon space travel!”

To one of the remaining asari, she barked, “We’re not waiting anymore.  Use the medallion!”

Nodding, the asari stepped onto the platform. She seemed nervous as she held out a small medal Finn recognized as bearing the symbol of the League of One.

After a few moments, the krogan statue came to life and spoke in a deep gravelly voice.

 

_“To those whose will once guided fate_

_A moment I do bid thee wait._

_Long your path from stars has been_

_But sanctuary waits within._

_Stand your ground and without fear_

_Speak the word and enter here.”_

 

The asari commandos seemed nervous, especially the one standing on the platform. She glanced at Councilor Raine, her face almost panicked.

Raine looked at her prisoners. “You see my problem. Perhaps one of you has some idea?”

Finn shrugged. “Open Sesame?” prompting sniggers from The Boss and Johnnie.

Raine nodded at the asari, who gulped and said in a quavering voice, “Open Sesame.”

For a few moments, nothing seemed to happen. Just as the asari started to relax, however, a burst of energy shot from the eyes of the krogan statue, enveloping the asari.  She had time to let out one agonizing scream before she was reduced to dust. The remaining commandos bowed their head in silence for their fallen comrade.

“Bloody hell!” The Boss said, eyes wide. “League didn’t screw around, did they?”

“They weren’t fools, which is more than I can say for you and your band of rogues.” Turning to the Boss, she said, “Still, I’m sure you’ll do much better.”

“You’re joking!  I’m not settin’ foot near that thing!” The Boss said.

Councilor Raine kicked the Boss onto the platform. She let out a muffled cry as she fell fast-first onto the dusty stone.  As she spat out what remained of the asari, Raine lifted her rifle and aimed it at The Boss.

“Pick up the medallion and hold it up.” She commanded.

“Like hell I will!”

The shot hit the Boss in the arm, making her let out a pained shout.

“You’re gonna pay for that, b-” The Boss said, only to find herself staring cross-eyed at the barrel of Councilor Raine’s rifle.

“Pick up the medallion and hold it up.” She said in a quiet voice. “Or the next one will go through your head.”

Grumbling, the Boss picked up the medallion and slowly held it up.  The krogan statue came to life, once again repeating:

 

_“To those whose will once guided fate_

_A moment I do bid thee wait._

_Long your path from stars has been_

_But sanctuary waits within._

_Stand your ground and without fear_

_Speak the word and enter here.”_

 

After a moment of silence, Councilor Raine looked again to Finn. “Well?”

Feeling a little panicked himself now, Finn said, “Me?  Why me?”

“I’ve went through dozens of my own people trying every password on record the League ever used.” She said, her eyes not leaving his. “You, on the other hand, seem to have the luck of the Goddess.”

“How am I supposed to-“ Finn began, only for Raine to interrupt him.

“They were good people.” She said, anger in her tone. “Each one of my commandoes knew the risk, and believed as I did that justice must be dealt. Every one of them volunteered to try, even Jihanna, who watched three of her sisters reduced to ash before her. It tore me up to see them die, so imagine how little I care about any of you! Guess, and pray that your luck holds out, or you will see every one of your friends meet the same fate, yes, even those above and in your ship, before you are the last! Now tell me, Cresste, what is the password?”

Finn stared back at her stunned; his hands were free, yet he had never felt more trapped. The Boss stared at him as well, her eyes pleading. It reminded Finn of those early days on Earth with the Saints.  He never hated them; part of him hated to leave.  Sure, they were criminals, but they were like a family to him when his mother was rapidly becoming less and less responsive. He realized how much fun those days had been, and while he had no desire to return to that life, he couldn’t be responsible for his old friend’s death.

“All right.” Finn said, swallowing. “Give me some time to think about this.”

“You have a minute.”

“A minute?!”

“Yes, a minute!” She snapped, “After that, I’ll just have to go with my gut and guess the password’s something like, oh, ‘Finn Cresste murdered me’.  Yes, that sounds like it might just work.”

“Finn.” The Boss said, her voice quiet to avoid tripping the trap, “I just want you to know I won’t blame you for being wrong as long as you promise not to actually be wrong.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Finn closed his eyes; the others were already talking, suggesting possible passwords, most of which were from famous stories and were just as likely to work as the last password he suggested.

The League of One set a password for returning members, so it made sense that it was something they’d all know. The poem suggested something possibly literary, but Finn didn’t know anything about salarian literature.

‘Speak the word’ the krogan said. To put a poem on a deadly password protection hinted at an air of dark sophistication on the part of the person who put it there, and making a simple mistake like not making ‘word’ plural seemed unlikely, so the password was probably just a single word.

He thought back to the recording in the first medallion, which felt like it was ages ago after everything that had happened.One of the salarians had been part of a band; perhaps the band name?  What was it? The Eternians?

Even as it was on his lips, he realized it wasn’t it. One member of the League was a member of the band, not all of them. It would be a pass word they all knew.  Something they decided on together.

“Tick-tock, Mister Cresste.” Councilor Raine said, “Thirty seconds.”

“I’m thinking!” Finn rubbed his forehead, trying to remain calm. 

The medallion was found in the Silean nebula.  Maybe Silean?  No, that’s too simple.  For all Finn knew, the medallion was carried there by someone else; the League may not have even know.  Was it something else in the poem, perhaps? The leader’s name was something Mkrobi.  Geralt?  Geraldio?  Finn’s mind grasped the memory, eventually feeling more or less sure it was Geral.  But wouldn’t Raine have tried that?  It was too simple, and she would’ve already tried the simple answers.

 “Fifteen seconds.” Raine said, taking aim. “If Finn doesn’t come up with an answer, feel free to say anything before I shoot, Saint.”

“So much for meeting up with Shaundi and Zimos at the Broken Shillelagh.” The Boss muttered.

Finn’s eyes widened. Meeting … meeting up, rejoining after a long absence.  Geral had mentioned something, a word in an ancient salarian dialect.  It was what they called their reunions.  The meaning escaped him, something about coming home from work, but the word came to his mind a few moments later.

Miiraka!” Finn said aloud, his voice making everyone turn. “The word is Miiraka!”

“Are you sure, Finn?” The Boss said, her voice still low.

“Absolutely.” Finn said, knowing with all his heart that he was right as its meaning came to him; the feeling when walking home from a long day’s work.

The Boss closed her eyes, raised the medallion a little higher, and said in a firm voice, “Miiraka!”

Everything in the chamber was absolutely still for the next few moments, until the beams shot from the krogan’s eyes. The Boss flinched, but the beams didn’t seem to harm her.  They ran over her body before focusing on the medallion. After a few moments, the statue nodded.

“Password confirmed.  Medallion verified as authentic. Welcome home, my brothers.”

As the krogan was once again inert, the back walls of the chamber slid open, forming a massive opening.  The passage ahead was dark, but a dim light could be seen in the distance

The Boss let out a huge sigh of relief. “Finn, I could kiss you.”

“Please don’t.” Finn said, feeling no small relief himself. “Today’s been strange enough as it is.”

Her face split into a wide grin. She opened her mouth to respond when at a nod from Raine, the commandos raised their rifles to fire.

“Wait!” Finn said, rising to his feet. “You can’t kill her!  You can’t kill anyone!”

“Why not?” Councilor Raine asked, a grim smile on her face. “You are all criminals. If I were still a justicar, I’d have killed you all already.”

“And if there are other traps?  Do you really want to risk any more of your own people?” It was a gamble, but one he felt fairly confident would pay off.

Raine gave him a calculating look. “A fair point. All right, you and your friends will live a little longer … but only three of you are coming with me.”

Turning her gaze at her commandos, she said, “Asiris, Shalle, come with me. Meandra, you stay here with the other prisoners.  If you lose contact with me for over an hour, kill them.”

Glancing at Finn, she added, “Just in case you get any funny ideas.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Finn told her.

She looked at her prisoners for a long moment. “The elcor will just slow us down, your dog will probably run off the moment he gets the chance, and I don’t trust scraps.”

“Then I guess you aren’t as dumb as you look.” Johnnie said, eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses.

Councilor Raine glared at him for a moment before continuing, “All right; Mister Cresste, you take the lead. You can take your lucky Saint friend and the other Alliance deserter with you.”

“Fine.” Finn said, eager to at least put off the appearance of compliance.

One of the asari shoved the Boss toward Finn and Mannon, prompting a rather long and creative curse.  The asari’s face darkened, but she just kept shoving the foul-mouthed human until she finally walked over to Finn and company.

“Well,” The Boss said, shooting a dirty look at the commando. “I guess we’re off to see the wizard.”

“Let’s just hope he has something for us in his bag.” Mannon muttered as they were prodded forward.

 


	30. Is Anyone Home?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Councilor Raine forces Finn, the Boss, and Mannon into the League Sanctuary.

Finn, Mannon, and the Boss walked down the corridor a short distance ahead of Councilor Raine and her entourage. It was still dark, the faint light ahead only just enough to allow them to see.

No real plan in mind, Finn nevertheless felt sure something would come up. The Boss could fight like mad when cornered, and Mannon probably wouldn’t have trouble taking out the other commando.  The real problem was Councilor Raine; one word, and the others would likely be killed. 

The air in the corridor was growing cool, a strange yet familiar thrum just barely audible around them.  It felt like they were walking on a downward incline; Finn wondered how far down the corridor went. Fear began to creep inside him; if there were more traps, they’d never see them.  He considered activating his omni-tool for some light, but the fact that Raine didn’t know his hands were free was one of the few things working in his favor at the moment.

They were drawing near the light now.  It hung in the distance, a strange bluish rectangle that gave off light without actually illuminating anything.  As they grew closer, Finn thought he could see colors in the light; streams of green mostly, with little dots of color that seemed to move here and there.

“Wait a minute.” He said when he realized what it was. “Is that … an aquariam?”

Mannon squinted. “You’re right.  My God, are those live fish?”

“Keep moving.” Paine said, though there was a definite note of surprise in her tone.

They were almost at the tank now; no longer blocked by the sides of a doorway obscured by the darkness, the tank stretched to either side, outlining corridors that were definitely not carved of stone.

A flare of light shot over Finn’s shoulder; Councilor Raine had a glowing orb in her hand that put off a good amount of light. As Finn suspected, they weren’t in the krogan ruins anymore; the corridors were smooth and made of metal and polymer.

“Huh.” The Boss said, sounding curious but not particularly surprised. “Well, I guess they wouldn’t be slumming in a cave.”

Finn had to resist the urge to tap on the nearest tank.  The fish inside swam languidly through the water, either unaware or uncaring of the intruders. “Impressive they’ve survived so long.”

“Not so much.” Mannon said, “Look; these tanks are maintained.”

“Some kind of automated care system?” Finn mused. 

To his surprise, Councilor Raine didn’t admonish them for speaking. Her eyes darted around nervously, as though expecting an attack any moment.

Finn turned to her. “Which way?”

She jumped slightly before staring at him, her eyes strangely wide. Shaking herself out of it, she gestured to the right corridor.

The aquariums continued to run along the walls, filling the corridor with their strange light.  It felt strangely surreal to Finn.  He wished he could activate his omni-tool and take a few pictures.

After ten minutes, they came to another fork in the corridor. Councilor motioned for them to head straight, only for them to run into another fork a few minutes later.

“Where are you, Geral?” Raine murmured.

Lights flickered to life in the right corridor.  The sound of someone rummaging through something could be heard through a sliding door held open with a wrench.  Finn’s wrench.

He stared at it a moment uncomprehendingly. Fortunately, Councilor Raine didn’t seem to notice.  She prodded Finn with the barrel of her rifle and nodded at the doorway.

As Finn drew near, he considered making a grab for the wrench.  It was definitely a viable weapon in a pinch, and since he was sure the Boss would take advantage of the situation and take out at least one of the commandos. Just as he was about to grab the wrench, however, he remembered his friends outside. One word is all it would take.

Ignoring the wrench, he walked into the room followed shortly by Councilor Raine.

“Stay here, and watch them.” Raine told her commandos, who swiftly nodded.

The room beyond was large, easily as large as the entire top deck of the Ulasomorf. As Raine raised her light orb in the air, Finn found himself staring at a room of wonders.

There were shelves filled with that made the former collection of Fuego Massani look like a scholastic book fair.  Many were alien, but Finn was startled to see several well-cared for leatherbound tomes bearing names such as Edgar Allen Poe, H.P Lovecraft, and even a small line of handwritten manuscripts signed by a “William Shakespeare”.

“Amazing.” Finn whispered, resisting the urge to pick up one of the books. “They must’ve been collecting these for ages.”

Councilor Raine didn’t respond.  Her eyes were on one of the many sculptures displayed across the room.

“The fall of Iliandris.” She whispered, her hand moving toward the stone face of the asari goddess but stopping just before touching it. “Cast from the Firmament for falling in love with her sister.”

“Reminds me of some of my people’s old myths.” Finn stopped.  His hands moved forward before he could stop them, taking a heavy tome from a bookshelf.

“Alter Inferno by Drew Bryenton.” He read aloud, his hand caressing the cover. “The Obliterati edition. There were only a handful of these every produced.”

Frowning, Finn turned to Raine. “In 2010. That was just over a century before the Reaper War.”

She froze, no doubt realizing his implication. ”That’s not possible; salarians scarcely live more than forty years, and the League was officially dissolved almost a millennium ago.”

Finn’s eyes swept the shelves; he was spotting more now, books from  less than a century, books that were scarecely twenty years old. His eyes finally stopped on a book entitled, “The Crusade of Sir Tirager Vespere, Knight of Justice”

“This came out two years ago.” Finn said, picking up the book.  He set it back down a few moments later; oddly enough, the version he ‘borrowed’ from Fuego was nicer, and autographed as well … and look at this room!  Not a speck of dust anywhere, even on the shelves.  Someone has been here, recently too.”

“I knew it.” She muttered to herself. “I knew he’d find a way.”

“Who?” Finn asked.

“Garel!” She said, a wild look beginning to fill her eyes. “He knew … he always knew.”

Finn looked at her as the final pieces fit into place. “It was you. You were the assassin who killed the league members.”

“I was a justicar.” She said, her jaw set. “They were the assassins!  Slipping unknown onto other worlds and killing off anyone that got in the way of their plans. Look at this room, Finn!  How many treasures in this room alone have been stolen from both our peoples?”

Yes, I killed them; I hunted them across the galaxy until they fell, either by my hands or by those of time, all except Garel … and he’s here.”

“How?” Finn asked. “You said it yourself; salarians only live about forty years.  It’s been centuries.”

“Then who’s been cleaning?” She demanded. “Who’s bringing the newer books?”

Finn didn’t know. Raine stared around the room for a moment longer before shaking her head and motioning Finn to the door. “And no sudden moves; I won’t bind you again, seeing as it seems to do little to stop you, but I still won’t hesitate to shoot you.”

With reluctance, Finn set the books down on the armrest of a cushioned chair and walked out of the room with Raine behind him. As they stepped out of the corridor, however, no one else was to be seen.

“Asiris?” Raine called out, a definite tremor in her voice. “Shalle?  Where are you?”

A little spooked himself, Finn said, “Sherle?  Boss?  Can you hear me?”

Nothing answered them.

Raine rounded on Finn immediately.  “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Finn said.

“Liar!  You’ve been pretending to be bound this whole time!”

“Yes, but I wasn’t able to get to the others.  You were watching us too closely for me to even try.”

Desperation began to fill her expression.  Just as Finn thought she was about to crack, however, a sudden look of epiphany lit her eyes. “The rustling we heard; someone was in there!”

She ran back into the room.  Moments later, the sound of something fragile smashing into bits prompted Finn to hurry after her.

She was rushing around the room, upsetting statues and tossing generations of literature to the ground in a mad search.

“Hey!” Finn said, watching in horror as she tossed priceless treasures to the floor, “What the hell are you doing?”

“He’s here!” She said, a mad grin on her face. “He’s been hiding here all along.”

An image of the Boss circling a finger around his ear sprung to Finn’s mind. He slowly backed away, intending to leave the room when his eyes fell on Alter Inferno.  It was one of his favorite sci-fi novels, and the prospect of owning one of the limited hardback copies was just too much to resist.

As he picked up the book, however, Councilor Raine spun around, the same insane grin on her face.

“You … you’re working with him, aren’t you?” She said, eye twitching. “No, wait … you must be him.  Switched your body for a nice young model, didn’t you?  Must’ve gone through quite a few now.”

“Oh, lord.” Finn didn’t need training to realize talking had just slipped out of the range of his options. He leapt for the door slightly faster than the bullets ripped through the air.

He didn’t stop running; clutching the book to his chest as though it were a shield, he ran down the dimly lit hallways, turning at every intersection so that

Where was Mannon?  Where was the Boss? If they managed to free themselves, why didn’t they help Finn?  These questions ran through Finn’s mind as he ran for his life, the fish in the aquariums on either side swimming unaware of the chase taking place around them.

At a particularly long corridor, Raine managed to take a few shots.  Two bullets shattered the glass of one of the aquariums, but pain shot through Finn’s leg as one of the shots connected with his thigh. He fell with a loud cry, crashing to the carpeted floor now wet and wriggling with dying fish. For some absurd reason, he managed to hold the book away from the water, a move that would make his friends later laugh and roll their eyes.

Shutters abruptly covered each and every one of the aquariums, protecting the glass and the fish while simultaneously removing what little light and blanketing the corridor in darkness.

Muttering to herself, Raine activated her light orb; it only illuminated the nearby area, but she knew he was down the hallway.

Finn struggled to his feet, one hand clamped over the bullet hole in his leg and the other feeling along with the wall. He had a good lead on Raine; if he could reach another adjoining corridor, he might be able to hide somewhere, perhaps another trophy room.

His panick rose as the light behind him grew brighter and brighter.  His fingers reached for something aside from the normal beams and the smooth metal aquarium shuttles as he fought the urge to make a sound.

The light stopped; he risked a glance back to fine Raine kneeling. She raised a blue finger smeared with something dark red that Finn realized moments later was his blood.  To his horror, she tasted it and smiled.

“You’re leaving me a nice trail to follow, Geral.” She called out. “Hope you’re not going to make it easy after all this.”

Wanting very much to swear in frustration, Finn tried to quicken his pace. His hand was now shaking as it traveled from shutter to shutter, each new touch of metal increasing his fear. As the light behind him grew so bright that he was certain she’d be able to see him, his shoulder hit something different; pulling one hand away from his leg, he felt the wall until his fingers found the crack.  It was a doorway.

Just as he tried to pry it open, the doors silently slid open.  Not caring to question it at the moment, Finn hurried through, only for the doors to quickly slide shut again.  Once again, he was in complete darkness, with not even a sliver of light making it through the doorway. A loud click shot through the air as something within the door slid into place.

With a sigh of relief, Finn activated his omni-tool; it wasn’t much, but it gave him a little light.  The wound in his leg didn’t look nearly as bad as it felt, though it still bled. A quick application of medi-gel numbed the pain and stopped the bleeding.  It still hurt, but it was at least manageable.

Sighing with at least partial relief, Finn turned his attention to the room. It was hard to see, but it didn’t look like another display room. He didn’t see any book cases or sculptures, though he did spot a few chairs set into the floor. Something about the layout tugged at his memory, but the pain and Councilor Raine starting to bang on the door proved too much a distraction for him to think on it.

Still, as he moved through the room, he felt an increasing familiarity with his surroundings. His good leg brushed against a chair that he found himself expecting to be there. His hand rubbed against the edge of a console his fingers recognized.  He found himself moving as though on autopilot to the far end of the room, where his hands closed around the back of a chair.  His chair.  As he sat down, his hands came to rest on a console.  Through the dim light of his omni-tool, he saw the panel covered with letters he didn’t understand … and yet he did.  Finally setting the book down on the seat beside him, His fingers moved seemingly of their own control, tapping at the controls until the lights of the room activated.

He stared at the chamber, recognition hitting him immediately.  While not exact, it was clearly a bridge, similar in design to that of the Ulasomorf.

“I always thought Krieger based it on turian designs.” Finn murmured, turning in his chair to look at his controls.

“And who did you think designed those controls?”

Finn spun around, looking in vain for the speaker. “Who said that?”

“It was still just a test design back in those days of course.” With a flash of light, a hologram of a very familiar salarian appeared in the chair next to Finn’s, the book visibly through the hologram’s translucent form. He leaned over on his cane and smiled at Finn. “You’ll find most of this ship is a product of prototypes and theories, refined over time, of course.”

“This ship.” Finn repeated.

The salarian chuckled. “And exactly where did you think we’d keep our treasures, young man? In some cave?  Some underground installation? No, it’s only in the stars that one can truly find one’s place. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that, though; look where you’re sitting.”

Finn glanced down, and realized why he felt so comfortable there, why he had been drawn to that chair.  It was the pilot’s chair.

“You …” Finn said, finally coming to realize the truth, “Y-you … you’re …”

The salarian bowed his head. “Geral Mkrobi, Leader of the League of One.”


	31. Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn discovers the secret of the League of One's sanctuary.

Finn could only stare for a few moments, the constant pounding from outside barely audible to him.  It wasn’t until the hologram let out a polite cough that he finally managed, “So you really are alive.”

“In a manner of speaking.” The hologram replied. “My body is alive in an old prothean stasis pod, but only just.  After all this time, it’s unlikely I could be removed from the pod … at least, not alive.”

Calming down somewhat, Finn said, “So this hologram is some kind of projection from your mind while in stasis?”

“Something like that.” Garel said. “I was neurally linked to the ship before I went into the pod, though my current state was a surprise even for me. For a few years, it was like one long unending dream.  I relived old missions, spoke with the memories of my old team, and even thought back to my youth on Surkesh.”

He allowed him a brief smile before continuing, “As time passed, I began to gain a level of lucidity in my dreams.  I was able to take control, to relive memories differently than I remembered.  As I gained more and more control, I began to grow aware of the world outside my pod.  This ship’s systems were responding to me.  It took a while to assemble this construct, but I had centuries to do it.  I wanted to be ready.”

“For what?’ Finn asked warily.

Garel smiled at him. “First, I would hear your story.”

“But …” Finn gestured at the door, where from the sounds of it, Councilor Raine was hitting the heavy metal with her pistol.

His smile seemed to grow sad. “Do not worry; she cannot break into this chamber until I allow her entry.”

“You know her?”

“I do. Her story, however, is for another time. Please, tell me who you are, and how you came to be here.”

Finn was worried about his friends, but seeing as Garel seemed unwilling to speak until he knew more of Finn’s tale, Finn let out a sigh and spoke.  He told Garel everything, from J-27 to the discovery of the hidden chamber.  Garel seemed most amused by the tale, and laughed loudly as Finn mentioned snagging the book before running from Councilor Raine.

“Don’t be embarrassed.” He said, no doubt noticing Finn’s red cheeks. “Sometimes, in strange situations, priorities can become a bit … twisted. Being a man of books myself, I can understand wanting to protect a rare volume from damage.”

“About that.” Finn asked, “How did you get the newer books?”

“An old friend.” Garel said, a strange smile on his face. “She brought me new works every few years.  You’d be surprised how quickly you go through the books when it’s pretty much all you have to do.”

“So she’s still here?”

“Oh, yes.  Very close now, I believe.”

Finn couldn’t help but shake his head. “Being a bit enigmatic for a thousand-year old ghost, aren’t you?”

Garel let out a laugh. “A ghost.  How appropriate; no longer living, but not completely dead. Perhaps I should find some chains to rattle, eh?”

Finn chuckled for a moment only to stop suddenly. Silence fell over the room, broken only by the slight hum of the hologram projection and Finn’s breathing.

“She stopped.” Finn said, looking at the door. “Did she give up?”

“Doubtful.” Garel squinted at the door. “I’m detecting life signs outside the door; two people, from the look of it.”

“Two? More asari commandos?” Finn said, his hand reaching for the carnifex that wasn’t there.

Someone knocked on the door three times. “Oy!  Finn!  Open up already!”

“Boss?” Finn hurried to the door and pressed his ear against it. “Boss, is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Got a friend of yours with me too.”

“Sherle?”

“Yeah.” Mannon said through the door. “Look, Raine ran off when she saw us coming.”

“How’d you get away from the commandos?”

“What, Shalle and Asiris?” The Boss asked, sounding amused. “Let’s just say they had a change of heart. Look, it’s bloody dark out here, and I don’t want to be around when Miss Cuckoo comes back.  Open up already!”

Finn glanced at Garel, who nodded. The door opened moments later, revealing The Boss and Mannon. The Boss had a split lip, and Mannon looked to have taken a shot in the arm. Once they were on the bridge, the door slid shut once again.

Mannon stared as Finn applied medi-gel to her wound. “This place … the sanctuary’s a ship?”

“Yeah, looks like it.” Finn told her. He nodded at the Boss. “You okay?”

The Boss chuckled. “Come on, Finn; you know full well I’ve had worse. Damn, Finn, you should see some of the stuff they got here. That room you disappeared in?  Small potatoes.”

“I’m pretty sure they’ve got part of the lost library of Alexandria in here.” Mannon said.

“But I didn’t … wait, really?” Finn shook his head. “Never mind. You said I disappeared?”

“Yeah. Those two asari waited a good ten minutes before going in after you , but the place was empty.”

“Empty?” Finn asked.

Shrugging, the Boss said, “Well, there were the vintage cars, of course. Quite a collection they have.”

“There weren’t any vintage cars in the room we entered.” Finn rubbed his temples. “It was a study; they had a bunch of books.  Hang on; I’ve got one with me.”

Finn turned to the helm.  That was when he realized that Geral was gone. He considered telling the others, but he couldn’t think of a way to do so without sounding insane, even after everything else they had been through.

“Finn?” Mannon said, “Is something wrong?”

“Huh?  Oh, sorry.” Finn picked up the book.  There was a little blood on the cover, but it seemed okay otherwise.

“Cor.” The Boss said, eyeing the book. “Did you happen to see a copy of Pride and Prejudice?”

“I’m not sure.” Finn admitted, “But it was a pretty big collection … and that was just a single room.”

By that time, Mannon had made her way to the sensor controls. After a few false starts, she managed to bring up a schematic of the ship.

Finn and the Boss crowded around her, the latter letting out a low whistle. “I’ll be damned. Look at that!”

The ship was large, even larger than the Ulasomorf. Finn found himself thinking of his old friend, Krieger, and his once-proud collection, and that had filled an entire station.  It wasn’t just a ship; it was a mobile station for the League of One.

“Holy hell.” The Boss said, both hands on her head and a smile across her face. “Talk about the mother lode!”

Mannon said, “All the history on this ship … it’s an archaeologist’s dream!”

Even Finn, who had little interest in treasure, found himself imagining just how much it would all be worth. Forget building a station; with that many credits, they could afford to tow in a small moon and terraform it as the new J-27, and still have enough for his and Kyra’s children’s children to live a life of luxury … and Kyra had already expressed her desire for a large family.

An alarm registered on the sensors, pulling them from their separate fantasies. Mannon fumbled with the controls for a moment before registering the location; a large mass of readings was bearing down on a location just outside the hull.

“Jake! Darsan!” Mannon said, a look of horror on her face.

“Not to mention Johnnie.” The Boss said.  Even she looked worried. “Even he can’t kill that many asari.”

“Screw it.” Finn activated his internal comm. “Kinsie, let me talk to Jake.”

The tremulous voice of the Saint’s AI said, “Um, but the Boss …”

The Boss grabbed Finn’s ear and pulled him closer, shouting, “Let ‘im through, Kinsie … and send in the cavalry. Any Saint who can make it, I want here.”

“Y-yes, Boss. Do you want them to take care of the asari ship above you?”

“The Meridia?” Finn said, trying to ignore the ringing in his ears. “No! My friends are in there!”

“You heard the man; any other asari or their poncy ships are fair game. Now stop blocking this channel!”

After a brief hiss of static, Finn heard Jake shouting, “Finn!  Finn, buddy, let me know you’re all right in there!”

“I’m here!” Finn said, pulling away from the Boss.  Rubbing his still-ringing ear, Finn said, “You still have that asari guarding you?”

“Y-“ the sound of a shotgun firing cut Jake short. 

Alarmed, Finn said, “Jake!  Jake, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. The asari’s not a problem anymore.”

“Really?  What happened?”

“Auren happened.  Hang on; she wants to know if you’ve seen Scarlet or Glen.”

Finn glanced at the Boss and Mannon, who both shook their heads.

“Not since we left the Meridia.” Finn said.

“Huh.  She says they’ve … ugh, hang on.”

Finn heard a click, followed by Auren’s voice. “Can he hear me?”

“Yes. Look, we haven’t seen either of them, Auren.”

“I was afraid of that. They disappeared off the Meridia’s scanners about the same time as you and Jake.”

Finn glanced at Mannon. “Scarlet and Glen went missing.”

She nodded and started working at the sensor console.

“We’ll look into it from this end.” Finn said, “Listen, you’ve got company incoming.”

“Yeah, I know; they took a few potshots at us on our way here.” Auren said, “They’ve got three gunships covering the Meridia.”

“Damn.” Finn said, now worried about the crew left aboard. “Look, get everyone inside the hidden passage; keep going until you see the metal shutters.  I’ll see if there’s something I can do from this end.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll let you know.” Finn deactivated his comm link and let out a sigh before admitting, “When I figure something out.”

Mannon shook her head. “I’m sorry; I can’t get more than vague signals, and those on the ship are hard to pinpoint without a better understanding of this system.”

“Can we at least get a count?” Finn asked.

She looked at the sensor monitors. Shaking her head, she said, “Maybe twelve? Thirteen? Some of them are grouped together, so it’s hard to make them out.”

“Knew we shoulda thrown the commandos into different closets.” The Boss muttered.

“Three of us, six with Jake if Eri’s still with them, Councilor Raine and her two commandos, and maybe two to four more? Could be more commandos.”

“Or my backup team.” The Boss paused and added, “Mind you, if Oleg and Pierce were here, we’d probably have noticed by now. Christ, I’m subtle as compared to them.”

“We need to find a way to cut off the asari.” Finn said.  He stared at the helm for a few moments. “Maybe … it’s a long shot, but maybe …”

“Long shot sounds good to me.” The Boss said. “It’s gotten us this far, eh?”

Mannon, who had much more experience with Finn’s plans, asked warily, “What are you going to do?”

Finn hesitated only for a moment before his hands reached for the controls, his fingers tapping the panel instinctively.  With a loud thrum that seemed to run through the ship, the engine miraculously came to life.

“Outer door secured.” Intoned Geral’s voice with the barest hint of amusement. “Engine activated.  Preparing for launch.”

Mannon stared in disbelief.  The Boss let out a laugh and shouted, “Oh, yeah! Gonna bust on outta here!”

“But the Meridia!” Mannon said, “She’s right above us!”

One of the consoles near the rear of the bridge activated. Geral’s voice slid through the air as the salarian ghost in the machine said, “Magnetic tether activated. Asari vessel secured. Reach for the Stars, Mister Cresste.”

“Thank you, Geral.” Finn said as Mannon continued to stare open-mouthed. He looked up at the viewscreen as the ship began to shake. “Let’s see what she can do!”

 

A few asari felt the first tremors, but dismissed it as their imagination. As the first commandos approached the hidden chamber, however, the tremors intensified so that none could ignore it

“Mallandra?” One asari asked, holding a hand to her earpiece. “This is Captain Greni. We’re getting some seismic disturbance here.”

“Copy that, Captain; it seems to be coming from beneath the ruins. Recommend returning to the ship or retreating a safe distance.”

Captain Greni frowned. Councilor had been insistant that they rendezvous with her.  Normally, that would be enough for her to ignore the imminent danger, but there was the matter of her missing commandos. The Councilor said they were on special assignment, but seemed tight-lipped about what that assignment might entail, or where it even was. The looks on the other asari who were assigned to assist Councilor Raine made their fate all too clear. Add to that the rumors of Councilor Raine speaking loudly for hours to no one while in her quarters, and the strange, maniacal gleam in her eyes since she took command of Captain Greni’s squadron were wearing on her sense of loyalty for the asari representative.

There was a loud crash as the krogan statue collapsed into a pile of stone and ancient circuitry.  The tunnel was the next to collapse, sending a wave of dust through the chamber.

That was it. Coughing, Captain Greni eventually managed to say, “Fall back.”

“But Councilor Raine-” her next in command said.

“Goddess take Councilor Raine!” Greni snapped. “I’m not sacrificing any more soldiers to her mad quest.  Fall back, that’s an order!”

The asari fled from the chamber and the ruins, the tremor now a full-fledged quake.  As asari commandos climbed into shuttles and dropships, the ancient stone tiles began to crack.

The last to climb aboard the final shuttle, Captain Greni turned and looked at the asari ship perched on the top of the ruins. Despite the intensity of the quaking, it didn’t seem to be moving. The ruins, however, seemed to be slowly rising as though some ancient leviathan had awoken.

Shaking her head, she climbed into the shuttle and told the pilot to take off. The shuttle shot toward the nearest overhead opening as parts of the ceiling collapsed. Large chunks of stone bounced off of the Meridia’s kinetic barriers, not damaging the ship but certainly giving those within a good shake with every deflected stone.

Free of the ruin, the Captain’s shuttle sped away as she watched the ruin continue to rise, stone cascading away to reveal the ancient hull of the salarian vessel. The ship continued to rise as sloughs of cracked stone slid away, the asari vessel still maintaining its position. The reason why was now evident; a glowing field held it there, pulling it close once the stone no longer occupied the space between the ships.  It looked like a mere shuttle itself as the ancient salarian vessel continued to rise, looking very much like a massive ancient turtle with a tiny hatchling perched on the top of its shell.

“By the Goddess.” Captain Greni whispered as the ship continued to fly toward the stars.  “All it’s missing is four elephants.”

“Captain?” The shuttle pilot asked, her eyes locked on the sight before them.

Captain Greni shook her head. “Nothing. Just something I read once.  Follow them.”

“Should we attack?” The shuttle pilot said.

Captain Greni stared for a long moment.  The ancient turtle-like form of the ship was no war-ship; whoever built it went to a great deal of trouble to make it a work of art. Councilor Raine was likely still in there, but opening fire on such a beautiful construct just seemed wrong.

She was about to give the order to hold fire when she spotted the Saints. The sight of the gleaming purple armada joined inexplicably by a number of krogan vessels and a large ship that looked like a giant winged boot was just too much.

“Negative.” Captain Greni said. “We’re leaving.”


	32. Chapter 32

Councilor Raine stumbled through the halls, muttering under her breath as she moved through the ship. She didn’t know why everything started shaking, but she guessed that Mkrobi was behind it. Mkrobi and his little friends. The very thought of Mkrobi working with Finn and his group of miscreants rankled in her breast, fueling the fire of her hatred.

She tried contacting her commandos, but got no response. She couldn’t even raise Captain Greni. Probably for the best, she reasoned. If the commandos weren’t responding, they must be working with Mkrobi as well. It explained everything; why they disappeared, how the leader of the Saints and that human girl were walking free. It was happening again; Mkrobi was turning everyone against her, trying to drive her away.

“Mkrobi!” She screamed, no longer caring about giving away her position. “No more running! Come out and face me!”

There was no response. Of course there was no response; he was too tricky to just approach her like that. He’d set a trap somewhere, but she was ready. She knew his tricks. Finn had been a trap; thank the Goddess she’d figured it out before falling for that one.

She wandered into room after room, looking for any sign of the salarian to no avail. It didn’t matter; she found his sanctuary. It was only a matter of time.

The sound of approaching footsteps made her freeze; someone was coming. She checked the heat sink of her rifle; still mostly full. Good.

Ducking into another gallery, she stood and watched as the elcor, the robot dog, and the scrap she had left at the secret door approached with two quarians and a turian. They were armed, but didn’t look like they were paying much attention. Her rifle was a brand new Zuen-tech repeater, capable of firing off fifty shots in five seconds. With good aim, it would be more than enough to wipe out most of the group, and her aim was good.

As she prepared to ambush the group, however, someone behind her let out a polite cough.

She spun about and immediately let out a gasp. Geral Mkrobi stood before her. “Hello, Amalthea Raine. I believe you are looking for me?”

“You.” She said, the word a culmination of accusation and hatred. “So you are still alive.”

Mkrobi smiled at her and promptly vanished. Her eyes wide, Raine spun about, looking for the hated figure.

“No, no, no!” She whispered frantically. “You can’t get away, not this time!”

Then she spotted him out in the hallway. He beckoned her to follow before walking out of view.

She hurried after him, prepared to open fire as soon as she turned. There he was, far down the corridor, still beckoning her.

Fury raging through her, she ran toward him, ignoring the shouts from the group she previously thought to ambush. Turning the same corner as Mkrobi, she was confused to see him again a surprising distance down the hall. Again and again he beckoned her through the hallways, always tottering out of sight while leaning heavily on his walking stick.

It was a trap, but she didn’t care. She would prove herself better than him if it took ever last breath from her lungs.

Seeing the aged salarian stroll into a chamber, Councilor Raine let out a cry of victory. Finally, she had him trapped! She ran into the room and stopped dead in her tracks. The room only contained a single thing; a large pod of sorts attached to an incredible mess of machinery, cables, and consoles. Inside lay the shriveled body of a salarian.

She frowned. It couldn’t be Mkrobi; he had appeared as she remembered, old for a salarian but certainly not as old as the salarian in the pod.

Squinting at the figure within the pod, Raine noticed the scarred eyelid. It was hard to spot amidst the spots covering the wrinkled old skin, but she was sure she spotted a tattoo once used by the Salarian Special Tasks Group.

“It’s you.” She breathed, her hand running over the clear pod cover in an almost tender way. “After all this time, after everything it took to get here … Geral Mkrobi, the leader of the League of One. I found you. I won.”

He didn’t respond. His breath was a barely audible rasp, barely even parting his lips. A look at the console showed her the truth; he was only barely hanging on to life.

She set her rifle against the pod and worked at the console. She could kill him without bringing him out of stasis of course, but she wanted him to see. She wanted him to know it was her, to stare at her with those ancient milky-white eyes and realize his mistake.

With a final press of the button, the pod cover cracked open, releasing a burst of steam before sliding open.

She approached the ancient salarian and put a hand gently to his withered cheek. “Geral.” She said, her voice a whisper.

His eyes fluttered open. He stared at her for a moment, making the breath catch in her throat. Everything she wanted to tell him, everything she planned to say slipped from her mind as he stared back at her, somehow seeing and not seeing.

The edges of his mouth turned up slightly. With his final smile, his eyes closed and his last breath gently left his mouth.

She stared at him for a long moment, her hand still caressing the ancient cheek. She did it. She succeeded.

“He knew you’d come here, y’know.”

Raine spun about to see Glenda Adams leaning against the now-closed door.

“You!” She whispered, disbelief cutting through the anger flaring through here at the interruption of such a critical, solemn moment. “But how? How could you still be alive?”

“Diet and exercise.” Glen said, allowing herself a small grin. “This isn’t about me; it’s about him and you. He told me, you know.”

“Are you here to kill me?” She made a grab for her rifle only to find it now missing.

Glen just shook her head. “Nah. I might have once, a long time ago, but killing people doesn’t really solve anything. Well, not usually. Besides, we both know Mkrobi wasn’t one for idle slaughter; outthink your enemies, that’s what he always said.”

Her cheeks flushed, but she said nothing. Glen approached Mkrobi’s body. There was a definite hint of sadness on her face. “Old friends, he and I. One of the few people I’ve trusted with the truth. The League understood the importance of little things; small changes here and there resulting in big things that can change the whole course of history, sometimes even the entire universe.”

Glen turned and looked at Raine. “Was it worth it? Kaalinor, Grym, Harris, Toben … hell, how many of your own people did you sacrifice just to get in here? How many would you have killed if Finn hadn’t guessed correctly?”

“Over a thousand years.” Raine said, rubbing her forehead as the euphoria of her success began to wear off, leaving a gnawing emptiness in the pit of her stomach. “I started this over a thousand years ago. After Kaalinor, there was no going back.”

“But you must’ve realized why Geral did what he did.” Glen said.

“It didn’t matter.”

“Didn’t matter?” Glen asked incredulously. “Of course it mattered! They were going to be hunted across the galaxy.”

“And I would’ve stayed by them every step of the way!” Raine shouted, tears in her eyes. “Five years, he trained me! Five years of learning how they shaped the universe, five years of him shaping me to be a full member of the League, the first non-salarian to join their order! Five years, and he threw me away like I was nothing!”

“He didn’t throw you away.” Glen said, “He set you free to find any path you want, without being subject to their fate! With the training the League gave you, you could’ve done anything! You could’ve joined the Specters, or started a League of your own, or used what you learned to continue their mission! Instead, you used what they taught you to hunt them down one by one, finally killing Geral himself at the cost of Creator knows how many of your own people, and now I want to know; was it worth it?”

The emptiness was spreading inside her, leaving her feeling numb. She leaned against the pod and slowly slid to the ground, tears in her eyes.

“No.” She whispered, bowing her head. “It wasn’t.”

Glen stared at her for a long moment before letting out a sigh and sitting down beside her.

“You didn’t really kill them, you know.”

Raine stared at her, tears still running down her cheeks. “What?”

“Kaalinor’s accident was just that; an accident. I saw your makeshift explosion, and disabled it. He was just reckless; he was always more in it for the thrill than the payoff. Grym didn’t have a chance to take so much as a sip from the poisoned wine you sent him before he staggered off drunk to go for a swim and got his fool-self drowned. Your trap for Haaris was pretty clever, but it was the asari stripper he hired who killed him … for his credits, if you can believe it. As for Grym, well, I helped him fake his death so he could help me with a personal project. We didn’t even realize you sniped his body double until we saw the coroner’s report. He died of old age, of course, but not before single-handedly defeating a schra-“ Glen grimaced and said, “Well, let’s just say he took out a threat even I had trouble with. He died saving an entire planet, though, and there are definitely worse ways to go. He even left a legacy; the Gryms still work from the shadows to maintain peace, even now that their people have spread out into the nearby systems. The others did well hiding themselves; everytime you were close, I threw you off their trail.”

“But why?” Raine asked.

“Because he asked me to.” Glen looked to the dead body of Geral Mkrobi. “Being a member of the League means sometimes ending a life, but he never wanted you to become a murderer.”

“B-but the asari I sent to their deaths …”

“Oh, come on, Raine. You know Mkrobi hated needless killing. He had me rig up that transporter ages ago. I think the idea was to interrogate people who came here, but I think he usually just beamed them somewhere on the surface. Nice marvel of engineering, that … shame it turns the clothes to ash. Clothing aside, their patterns are all still in the teleporter, just waiting for the right signal to rematerialize them … which I’ll be taking care of myself.”

A flash of anger ran through her, but it faded in a matter of moments, overwhelmed by relief. She smiled for a moment, but her happiness soon faded. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Excuse me?” Glen said.

“It doesn’t matter. Garel always taught me that intent means just as much as my actions. However they survived, I still thought I killed them. I betrayed everything Garel stood for.”

“And that’s something you’ll still have to live with.” Glen told her, but she wasn’t listening. Horror filled her at the realization of the one death she was responsible for: Garel Mkrobi.

She rose and turned to the dead salarian and held a hand to his now cool cheek.”Geral … I’m … I’m so sorry.”

“He was ready.” Glen told her gently. “A thousand years is a long time to be alive, believe me.”

“He … he was like a father to me.” She whispered. “He took me in … he trained me …”

“And when he was ready to pass to whatever lies beyond this crude existence, he trusted you to find your way here and release him. The last thing he saw was you. Tell me; how did he react?”

“He smiled.” She said softly.

“Well then.” Glen told her. “Maybe it was worth it after all.”


	33. Irreverant Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sanctuary of the League of One is blasting off again!

As the ancient ship rose through the atmosphere, Finn found himself hoping the League’s defense systems were as undamaged as the engines. He knew it wouldn’t be long before they had company. Sure enough, a few shudders ran through the ship as small arms fire hit the ship’s kinetic barriers.

“Multiple ships behind us.” Mannon said, working the sensors frantically.

“Asari?” Finn asked.

“Saints?” The Boss asked.

“I … I can’t tell! There are hundreds of them.”

Finn glanced at the Boss, who shook her head. “Even if Kinsie got everyone at the fortress, we only brought seventy ships with us.”

“Can we get any kind of visual?” Finn asked, trying his best to coax more speed out of the engines … not that he was complaining. It was amazing that the engines still functioned at all.

“One second.”

The door to the bridge slid open.

“Mannon!” Finn said, not daring to leave the helm.

“I’ve got it!” The Boss took cover behind one of the bridge consoles and readied her rifle. “Just keep us flying!”

They were free of the atmosphere now. The ship’s controls grew easier to manipulate, although they were still noticeably more sluggish than the smaller vessels Finn usually piloted. He could imagine the ships swarming around behind them, just waiting to open fire.

Mannon slammed her hands down on the console in frustration. “I can’t get it closed!”

The Boss opened fire, resulting in a loud shout. “Hey! What gives?!”

“Eri?” Finn said, glancing at the doorway. “Is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me. The others are right behind me … look, can I come in without getting shot?”

Finn met the Boss’s questioning gaze and nodded.

Nodding back, the Boss lowered her rifle. “All right, come on in … join the party.”

Eri entered the bridge, looking a little shaken. He looked around the bridge for a moment and said, “It’s a ship. Of course it’s a ship. Why not?”

“Eri, see, if you can find some kind of weapon controls.” Finn said.

“Oy!” The Boss said, “Some of those ships could be Saints!”

“Well, can we contact them?” Finn asked.

“Worth a try.” The Boss ran over to Finn and shouted, “OY! KINSIE!”

“Ahh!” Finn automatically clamped a hand over his now-ringing ear. “Let me activate it first! Geez!”

“Boss?” Kinsie’s voice said in Finn’s ear. “Are you and Johnnie okay? We lost-“

“Yeah, we’re fine.” The Boss said. “Look, is that you back there or what?”

“Are you in the space turtle?”

“Yeah, that’s us. League’s treasure was a bit more expansive than we were expecting.”

“Well, yeah; we’re right behind you, but we’ve got some company.”

“Company?”

“The Blood Pack.”

Swearing, Finn said, “And there’s the trifecta.”

A smirk on her face, the Boss said, “Look, can you slow them down a little?”

“Slow them down? But there’s a frigate closing in on us!”

“A frigate?” Finn and the Boss said simultaneously.

The viewscreen abruptly activated, giving them a view behind the ancient salarian vessel. Purple vessels dotted the sky, intermingled with bulky krogan ships. Behind them all was a sight that nearly made Finn cry out with relief: The Ulasomorf.

“Thank God.” Finn said, “Kinsie, that’s my ship! Let ‘em know I’m okay, and that you’re helping defend us!”

“And they’ll believe me why?”

“Because you’ll be using my voice, just like you used Jake’s earlier; the only difference is that you’re doing it with my knowledge.”

“Right. Right. We’ll do what we can with the Blood Pack.”

Nodding, Finn tried his internal comm again. “Kinsie, are you there? Look, if you can hear us, our sensors can’t tell your ships apart from any of the others.”

An alarm sounded from the sensor console. Mannon hurried over to it immediately. “Either a ship’s heading our way fast, or it’s a-“

The ship shook as something impacted the kinetic shields with great force, making Scarlet stumble as she walked onto the bridge. She paused a moment as she saw Mannon. The women, nearly identical in all save species, exchanged long looks at each other.

Scarlet shook her head. “A question for later. Finn, what’s going on? Are we moving?”

“Yeah, yeah, League’s sanctuary is a ship.” The Boss said dismissively. “That’s so ten minutes ago.”

Scarlet stared back at the Boss for a few moments. “Finn … this is …”

“The Boss, I know.” Finn said, “Look, you can argue over who gets the treasure later. Right now we need to get out of here in one piece. Are the others with you?”

“They’re searching the ship in case any more asari managed to get aboard. I’m not alone, though.” She glanced back and called out, “Jake! I found them!”

“Finn!” Jake said, running through the door moments later. He raced through the bridge, running between the Boss’s legs and quickly rejoining his brother. “I’m here! I’m here, man!”

Smiling, Finn said, “Good to see you, bro. Can you read ancient salarian?”

“Can I … come on, Finn, you know I am fluent in over six-million-”

The ship shook as they were hit again.

“Jake?” Finn said, a note of warning in his tone.

“Yeah.” Jake said hurriedly, “Sure thing.”

“Good. Help Mannon with the sensors; we need to know who’s firing on us.”

“There!” Mannon said, “Channel open!”

Finn looked up at the viewscreen to see a face he had hoped he wouldn’t ever see again.

“Councilor Ghales.” Finn said, “Nice to see you up and around.”

“You will not get away this time, Cresste. I’ll have you soon … and your robot dog too!”

“Maybe another day. Mannon! Be well him for me.”

“You dare to cut-”

The screen went back to the rear view of the ship, cutting off the angry Councilor. Now that the armada was closer, there were clear signs of conflict between the krogan vessels and the Saints. The Ulasomorf was gaining on them, but it was restricted by the debris in the atmosphere, which the smaller vessels could avoid easily. Still, that meant that Billy was out there too, no doubt reducing the krogan side of the equation.

Still, it wouldn’t be long until the League ship was free of most of the debris, at which point Finn could activate the eezo drive, and possibly stream, if it came to that.

A knot formed in his stomach when it occurred to him that he couldn’t stream, not with the meridian on top of the ship. It’d get torn away in an instant … unless …

“Jake!” Finn said. “I need to talk with the Meridia.”

“Got it!” Jake ran across the ship, skidded to a halt beside the communications station, where Mannon was still standing. As she moved back to sensors, he put his metal paws on the console.

“Aaaaand there we go!” Jake said, a note of triumph in his voice.

Amber’s face filled the viewscreen. Her eyes widened as she saw their bridge. “Scarlet! Where … are you on that ship?”

“I am. Finn?”

Nodding, Finn said, “Look, I know this isn’t easy, but I need you to remote patch me into your engine controls.

“Our engine controls? Why?”

Jake turned his monitor to Finn. “Mel’s Gambit? Finn, that nearly killed Katt and Rico! You can’t even read the controls!”

“Only because he was distracted, and you’ll notice I’m flying us just fine.” Finn said. “This time, I’ll take control of both fields, merging them together so we can stream out of here together.”

“And if you’re wrong?” Scarlet asked.

Finn paused. “Katt and Rico survived. Look, it’s either that, or let the Meridia go and fend for itself from the rest of that mess.”

“Finn, Noir is on that ship.” She said. “I don’t … I can’t lose him, not after all this.”

“I understand, believe me; Kyra’s there too.” Finn looked at her. “So give me another option; please.”

Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she looked at Eri. “Weapons?”

“I … I’m not sure.” Eri said, “Hell, I don’t even know if this is the weapon’s console. This could be life support for all I know!”

“Then maybe Jake should-“

She was interrupted as the ship shook again, this time much harder.

Staring down at his console, Eri muttered, “Okay, so this is the right console. Look, we can’t take many more like that.”

Scarlet was silent. Finn could tell she was weighing the consequences.

The Boss let out a laugh. “Hell, why not? Let’s do it! I already spat in the Devil’s face once.”

Seeing Scarlet’s small nod, Finn asked, “Amber?”

“They’re working on it.”

A crackle of static came from overhead as the ancient intercom came to life. Jake’s voice, audible both from the comm station and amplified overhead said, “Attention passengers; our pilot is about to perform an incredible feat of daring, skill, and no small amount of insanity. Please place your tray tables in the upright position, fasten your seat belts, put your heads between your knees so that you are ready to kiss your asses goodbye in the event our capable pilot screws up.”

“Thank you, Jake.” Finn said, shooting a glare at Jake. “Your faith in me is overwhelming.”

“Hey, I know you won’t screw it up.” Jake called back, his voice still on the intercom. “And if I’m wrong; hey; at least I won’t be able to say ‘I told you so’.”

“Thanks for that.” Finn muttered.

After a few moments, Amber said, “There; you should have control now.”

A different part of the console lit up, indicating the remote connection was active, even if it was still written in old salarian. Nodding, Finn said, “Okay; here we go.”

Free of the larger debris, Finn activated the FTL drives of the League ship and the Meridia. That was the easy part, however; it was simple to make sure the combined fields covered the entire ship.

“Looks like we left them behind.” Mannon said, Jake’s paws now on the sensor console as he helped her with the translation.

“That’d be nice.” Finn said, not believing it for a second.

Sure enough, a series of beeps from the sensors indicated that some of their following was still doing just that.

“Maybe we can out run them in FTL?”

“And maybe butterflies will fly out of my ears.” The Boss said. “They start shooting us now, we’re gonna be in trouble. Finn, you gonna move this bucket or what?”

Finn didn’t respond. He felt confident using the controls despite the fact he could read none of it, the field indicators indicated he was manipulating them both in the way he intended, but there was a problem; the stream wasn’t coming. He stared until his eyes began to tear up, but still it refused to respond to him.

A few small shudders ran through the ship as their pursuers opened fire.

“Finn?” Eri said, worry in his tone. “Anytime now would be just fantastic.”

“I’m trying!” Finn said, not daring to take his eyes off his controls. What was wrong? What was missing?

The stars, Finn realized; the Ulasomorf’s front windows were visible from his pilot seat.

“Forward view!” Finn said, trying to ignore the shaking slowly grow more violent. “I need to see the stars!”

“What?” The Boss said.

“Just do it!” Scarlet said, panic in her voice as she looked at Mannon.

The viewscreen changed to the starfield. Finn stared directly at the center, his hands moving automatically as the stars sped toward them. In moments, he felt it the familiar burning sensation behind his eyes … and there it was; the edges of the mass effect fields generated by both ships. It was simple to merge them; almost like it was his mind moving them and not the controls.

He was ready, but even as he began to collapse the field, he realized he could see something else, something beyond the mass effect fields. Finn peered through the swirling colors now filling his vision, trying to make out what it was that lay beyond. It almost looked like a small thread, simply hanging in space. He had never seen anything like that while streaming previously. Part of him wanted to reach out and grab it, to pull at it and see what happened.

“Finn?” Mannon shouted, “They just launched another missile! We need to go now!”

“Right.” Finn said, his voice a whisper. Gathering his thoughts, he checked the field, hazarding the quickest of glances at the console. As his gaze returned to the sight on screen that only he was truly seeing, he collapsed the field.

The Universe jumped into his vision. His fingers danced across the console, manipulating the field almost automatically as his gaze remained on the stars. The thread … it was still there, spinning slightly as they rocketed forward away from Tuchanka, away from the Saints and the Blood Pack.

Someone was shouting, but it seemed distant. The thread was so close that he was certain it couldn’t be part of the viewscreen. If he waited just a few moments, if he hung on for just a few more seconds …

“Mister Cresste.” Geral’s voice whispered in his ear.

“Almost there …” Finn murmured.

“It’s time to come back.” Geral said, his kind voice piercing the single-minded determinedness that had overwhelmed Finn.

With no small amount of effort, Finn wrested his thoughts back to the console and quickly reversed their engines.

The universe seemed to grow almost impossibly heavy as the ship came out of streaming. After a few final moments of FTL slowing their velocity, the ancient salarian vessel slowed to a near halt.

Finn fell back in his seat and stared at the screen with bloodshot eyes. There were only stars now … but somehow, that was a relief.

He jerked slightly as a hand touched his shoulder. He turned to see the Boss staring at him, a strangely somber expression on her face.

“Back with us, are you?” She said, her gruff voice showing hints of concern.

Finn managed to nod. “Y-yeah, I’m good. Sherle?”

“Yeah, they’re long gone.” She said, concern on her face as well. “We’re not even in krogan space anymore. I think it’s safe to say we lost them.”

“And the Meridia?”

“He’s awake.” Jake said into the comm console.

“Good. Sherle?” Kyra’s voice was sweet music to his ears.

“Right.” Mannon approached Finn and gave him a serviceable imitation of one of Kyra’s bops right on his head.

Chuckling softly, Finn said, “I deserved that.”

“Damn right you do. Now let go of the Meridia so we can dock.” Her voice softened as she said, “And meet me at wherever that ship’s docking port is, so I can give you the bop-free greeting you really deserve.”

“As you wish, milady.” Finn said, a light blush in his cheeks.

Glen walked onto the bridge wearing her usual cheery grin.

“Hey, ya’ll.” She said, her Headache-covered hands behind her head. “Everything all right here?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” Finn said. The Boss was making exaggerated kissing faces at him, making him blush all the more.

“Wait!” Mannon said, alarm in her voice. “Councilor Raine! She’s still on board!”

“Eh, not so much.” Glen plopped down in an empty seat and propped her feet up on the next seat over. “I took care of it. With the other commandos tied up, it’s safe to say we’re in the clear.”

After the few moments of silence that followed this announcement, Jake asked, “What did you do with her?”

“Councilor Raine?” Glen asked, sounding surprised at the question. “What do you think I did with her?”

“Killed her and stuffed her corpse in the airlock?” The Boss suggested with the casual air of one who had done far worse.

Glen considered this a moment before giving a carefree shrug.“Sure, let’s go with that.”

 

Many hundreds of thousands of light-years away, in the middle of a large city hidden in a massive forest on a small planet in a distant galaxy, Jek Korins and Lukan the Third, Purveyors, Owners, and accidental Destroyers of the Magnificent Magery, sat in a dank cell beneath Beedergrast Castle.

With a tired sigh, Lukan told his gnomish companion, “I told you it was too much sulpher.”

“They wanted a big bang, they got a big bang.” Jek said defensively. “Besides, you could’ve stopped me with those freakishly-long arms you’ve got.”

A faint look of annoyance graced the refined features of the elvish sorcerer’s face. It soon passed, however, and in a matter of moments, he let out another sigh.

“I guess that’s it, then.” He said in a glum tone. “We’re stuck here.”

Jek let out a snort. “Not likely. I’ve got a few reagents they didn’t notice; I’m sure I can whip up something with these.”

Lukan glanced over the gnome’s shoulder and let out a snort of his own. “Beeswax, flax seed, a piece of ebony, and a piece of cubic zirconium. Let’s see; we could change our skin color, give ourselves funny voices, permeate the air with the taste of peppermint, or create a brief enchantment to allow us to communicate with the cockroaches.”

“Well … maybe they know something.”

“They’re cockroaches.” Lukan said in the tired voice he used when Jek had a stupid idea. “I can hear them now; ‘bright light is bad! I’m hungry! Let’s have steamy cockroach sex!’”

Jek made a goofy face at Lukan, but didn’t reply. With a sigh, he said, “Well, at least we have each other.”

Lukan was considering whether he should use the ebony to puncture his ear drums or simply choke the gnome into unconsciousness when a smooth voice said, “Or you could help me overthrow King Theragul and free this kingdom from his oppressive regime before he turns this world into an ashen wasteland.”

They both looked up as a woman emerged from the shadows. Their jaws dropped. In their travels, both Lukan and Jek had seen many different species: ogres, trolls, drow, warforged, and many more, especially in Jek, who regularly jumped dimensions. The woman who stood before them was completely new: the deep blue skin, the strange yet sensual fringe on her head where other species had hair, the oddly uniform markings on her face. The leather armor she wore seemed strangely clandestine on one whose appearance was so exotic. She looked young; in human terms, no more than twenty or twenty-five, yet her eyes belied an older mind, one that had seen no small amount of sorrow.

“Will you help me?” She asked, hands on her hips.

Lukan and Jek exchanged looks before nodding in agreement.

She smiled, her beauty again dazzling them both. Without another word, she held a hand on front of the lock of the cell door, and seemed to pulse with blue energy. Lukan barely had time to yank Jek out of the way before the cell door was knocked off of its hinges. With a swift gesture, the door stopped in midair and slowly rested on the floor.

“My apologies.” She said, a slight blush in her cheeks. “I didn’t expect it to break so easily.”

“Wow!” Jek said, grinning at her. “That was natural magic!”

“Magic?” She said, her hairless eye ridges raising slightly in askance. “I suppose you could call it that.”

“Our equipment …” Jek began, only for her to cut him off.

“I’ve secured it. Follow me.”

“Wait a moment.” Lukan said, holding out a hand to stay their mysterious benefactor. “Who are you? Why are you helping us?”

“I help you because sometimes, you need help if you want to change the universe.” She said, a strange smile on her face.

“And your name?” Jek asked, a quizzical look on his impish face.

She paused a moment, her smile widening ever so slightly. “Thea. Thea Raine.”

 


	34. All's Well that Ends Well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and company get a reward, Siren's Call get a new ship, and Tuck gets a job as the Ulasomorf's chef.

The trip back to Tuchanka wasn’t nearly as exciting as their departure. After receiving the ‘all-clear’ from Liara, it took them a day to reach the krogan border and reunite with the Ulasomorf, and another day to get back to Tuchanka.

There was no small amount of cheering on the ground as the ancient wuarian ship landed at the makeshift platform not far from what was left of the mountain where the Meridia had landed only a few days ago. The Meridia was there as well, still locked onto the docking port not far from where it was previously tethered. Saints and krogan stood together and applauded like friendly cousins at a family reunion. Even some of the Blood Pack were there, now sporting purple armor to show their new allegiance.

As Kyra helped Finn down the ramp of the ancient ship, they were met by Liara T’soni, Javik, and Primarch Urdnot Wrex. Wrex now wore the ceremonial headpiece, sans jewel, though it was the krogan himself whose appearance surprised Finn.

“I remember you.” Finn said as he shook hands with the Primarch, the ramp rising behind. “We ran into each other before I had my little chat with the Council, yeah?”

“That was me.” Wrex chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll be damned if Liara wasn’t right about you. Just as much of a troublemaker as Shepard. I’d wonder if you were related if you weren’t arm-in-arm with one of Tali’s girls.”

Kyra was stunned. “How did you-”

“Look just like her. I paid them a few visits once she finally got out of that suit. Good to know a Shepard’s on hand now that that Illusive Bastard’s back. Anyway, I thought it only fair to thank you both personally. If it weren’t for you, that idiot Jorgal would still be Primarch. Oh, that reminds me.” He held out a hand expectantly.

Chuckling, Finn said, “Fair enough. Hey, Jake!”

Jake trotted up to them and looked at the assembled group with obvious curiosity.

“The Blood of the Krogan?” Finn said.

“You got it.” Jake’s back panel slid open. Finn removed the Blood of the Krogan and handed it to Wrex, who promptly slammed it back into his headpiece.

“Hate wearing this thing.” He confessed. “Still, gotta keep up appearances. Here.”

He tossed Finn a magic eight ball that was inexplicably painted red. Before Finn could ask, however, Wrex said, “And you can count on my help against the Illusive Man, no matter how many Reapers he managed to save. Least I can do for all your help.”

“Anytime.” Finn said, not entirely sure what he actually had done.

Wrex chuckled again, as though he understood Finn’s confusion. “Still, I wanted to give you something else for your trouble. We ain’t got a lot here, but I owe you a favor … so just let me know what you want, and I’ll see what I can do.”

Finn smiled as the ramp behind them finally clicked back into place. “Anything, huh?”

“Yeah. Well, within reason, of course.”

There was a loud rush as the salarian vessel’s engines thrummed to life. It rose into the sky, oblivious to the commotion on the ground. Wrex and Liara stared as it rose into the sky toward a fleet of krogan vessels.

Coughing, Finn said, “Could you pretend you didn’t see that?”

Wrex stared at him, his red eyes wide with surprise for a few moments before he let out a laugh that echoed across the platform.

Slapping Finn in the back and nearly knocking him over in the process, Wrex said, “”You’ve definitely got a quad, kid. Shepard woulda liked you.” Raising a hand to his headpiece, Wrex said, “Everyone get out of the turtle’s way. Yes, that’s an order; anyone got a problem with that, they can take it up with me.”

He turned to Liara and shook her hand before pulling into a hug that made her wince. “Glad you could drop by. Let me know when we’re ready to go blast Cerberus once and for all, eh?”

“Of course.” Liara said, slightly breathless as she hugged him back. “Take care of yourself, Wrex.”

Wrex let her go and moved to hug Javik, who glared at him and said, “Don’t even think it, turtle-man.”

The implied threat didn’t phase Wrex in the slightlest, and the look on the prothean’s face as Wrex hugged him was absolutely priceless.

“You take care of yourself too, fossil.” Wrex said before releasing him. “And say hello to my nieces too, okay?”

As Wrex walked away, Liara looked at Finn and shook her head.

“A simple pickup mission.” She said, smiling kindly. “And you ended up helping one of my oldest and dearest friends. Finn, you are incredible.”

“I can’t in all honesty claim responsibility for that.” Finn said, feeling bashful at the Shadow Broker’s Praise. “I mean, it’s not like I intended this.”

“I know.” Liara said. “But still, you’ve again shown great resourcefulness when faced with unexpected twists. When the time comes, I’m sure you and your friends will help us stop Cerberus once and for all.”

Kyra squeezed Finn’s hand and kissed him on the cheek as Liara and Javik headed for the Ulasomorf. “Ready to go, sweetie?”

Finn started to nod when something occurred to him. A smile crossing his face, Finn said, “Not quite yet. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

 

Tuck looked up as Finn and Kyra entered his larder. His expression brightened, but only slightly; an air of defeat seemed to surround the normally cheery krogan chef.

“Hey, Tuck.” Finn said, “This is my girlfriend, Kyra.”

“Nice to meet you.” She paused and said, “So you’re really a krogan chef.”

“Yeah.” Tuck said, his voice glum.

Coughing, Finn said, “I just wanted to apologize.”

“Apologize?” Tuck asked, giving him a look of surprise. “What for?”

“Well … the sleeping potion.”

“The one you ate too? Yeah, I managed to hang on long enough to see you pass out. Obviously wasn’t your fault, so no need to apologize.”

“Still, Glen was with me, and she left you in a nasty spot.”

Tuck let out a laugh. “She crammed me in the stew pot and hid me in a drainage tunnel. Probably saved my life. Besides, Jorgal was a jerk. I’m glad I had a hand in bringing him down, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. Nah, you got nuthin’ to apologize for, Finn.”

Tuck’s hand paused as he reached for a pan. Glancing around, Finn realized that most of the utensils previously covering the shelves were gone.

“You’re leaving?” Finn nodded and said, “Right; Jorgal made his headquarters here. You’re probably moving to wherever Wrex-“

“I was dismissed.” Tuck said, sounding strangely quiet.

“Dismissed?” Kyra asked. “Why? Finn said your cooking was great! Surely Wrex doesn’t care about the sleeping potion thing.”

“Nah, it’s nothing like that. He nearly laughed his ridgeplate off when I told him my side of the story.”

“Then what?” Finn asked. “He went to the trouble of sending you off to get trained, after all.”

Tuck let out a sigh as he set another pan in a plastic container. “To celebrate his return, I made a special roast, seasoned, seared, and baked to perfection. Everyone loved it, and then Wrex took a bit.”

After a few moments of silence, Kyra said, “And …?”

Tuck let out a frustrated sigh and turned to face them. “He’s allergic to paprika.”

“What?” Finn and Kyra said together.

Tuck nodded, forever giving Finn and Kyra a mental image to go along with the words ‘sad krogan’. “Yeah. Throat swelled right up. Good thing Bont realized what was going on before Wrex’s krant blasted me where I stood. Still, the damage was done.”

“He sacked you?” Finn said, feeling a little annoyed at the krogan primarch until Tuck shook his head.

“Nah, Bont explained everything. Wrex was fine, of course, but that didn’t stop everyone else from looking at me all suspicious. I already had three surprise visitors who thought they were gonna eliminate a traitor.”

Tuck chuckled as Finn looked around the kitchen for signs of Tuck’s attackers. “They’re hanging up in my larder. I even turned off the heat so they’ll be alive by the time the next patrol arrives two days from now.”

“What about the meat?” Finn asked. “Won’t it spoil?”

“Probably. Hey, they’re alive; they wanna whine about the smell, I’ll turn the freezer back on.” Shaking his head, Tuck returned to packing. “Besides, no one else will touch my cooking after that. Can’t be a cook if no one’s eating, you know? So I’m packing it up.”

Finn and Kyra watched him put away a few dishes. Kyra looked like she wanted to say something, but just didn’t have the words.

Finn caught her eye and raised an eyebrow suggestively before nodding twice, the first at the back of Tuck and the second in the direction of the shuttle they were borrowing. It took her a moment to catch his meaning, but when she did, she smiled, squeezed his hand, and nodded in agreement.

“Well,” Finn said, “You know, if you’re looking for a place to cook …”

“Yeah?” Tuck said, his hands resting on the lid of the container.

“I mean, my cooking’s pretty much limited to sandwiches and noodles.” Finn said.

Kyra added, “And I can do a good stir-fry, but when we start getting long missions, some variety would be nice.”

Tuck glanced at Finn. “Are you sayin’ you want me to tag along?”

“If you’re interested.” Finn said. “We’ve got a full facility onboard the Ulasomorf.”

“And this would be paying work?”

“Absolutely.” Finn said, “I’m sure Liara will agree, she’s got some good chefs, but even the best sushi will stick in your throat eventually. We need a chef who isn’t afraid to experiment, a chef who understands the subtle differences necessary to deliver fine cuisine to a mixed crowd.”

Kyra nodded encouragingly at Tuck, whose visage grew brighter by the moment. “You mean it? You aren’t jus’ yanking my chain?”

“Not at all.” Finn said, smiling at the krogan’s response. “We can go right now; we’ll even help you.”

To both Finn and Kyra’s amazement, Tuck clapped his hands and danced a merry jig.

“Hot damn, Finn, you talked me into it. You’ve got yourself a cook!”

He grabbed the container and handed it rather forcefully to Finn. When he let go, the weight nearly pulled Finn’s arms out of their sockets before Kyra grabbed one of the handles from him. It took barely more than a minute to throw the rest of his gear into the other container.

“All right.” He said, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s go!”

 

Xyn was waiting inside the Ulasomorf after Finn, Kyra, and Tuck left the borrowed krogan shuttle. Glen was there as well, inexplicably polishing a wooden door propped up against a wall.

“Just leave my stuff there for now.” Tuck said, dropping his container with a loud chorus of clangs. “I wanna take a look at the kitchen before I start settlin’ in.”

“Sure thing.” Finn said as he and Kyra set the other container down. “It’s up on deck three.”

“Gotcha.” Tuck pressed the elevator call button. As the lift doors open, he looked back at Finn. “And Thanks … Eggars.”

Finn chuckled as the lift doors closed. Seeing Kyra’s curious glance, he shook his head and said, “I’ll tell you later.”

Xyn approached and spread her arms, a kind smile on her face. “It is good to see you well, Finn.”

“Glad to be well.” Finn replied, allowing her arms to rest over his for a moment. Small vines on her arms squeezed him ever so slightly before retracting.

She turned to Kyra, her smile becoming more forced. “I trust you are well too?”

“Yeah.” Kyra said, rubbing her arm. Xyn didn’t even hold out her arms. “Look, Xyn, I’m sorry about goin’ off on you the other day. I was angry about the maintenance corridors … if we’re in trouble, I’ll need them clear. Still, I didn’t want to drive you away.”

To Kyra’s obvious relief, Xyn’s smile became more genuine. She held out her arms, Kyra doing the same moments later. As they talked, Finn decided to go have a talk with Glen.

She grinned at him as he approached, a thin layer of sweat visible on her muscular arms. “Heya, Finn. Glad to see you. Saw you invited Tuck along for the ride.”

“Least I could do. Besides, we could use a cook.” Finn looked over the door. It seemed perfectly normal, save for the fact that it was resting against the wall. A small sign on the front read, “Please use other door.”

“Oh, hell.” Finn said, remembering his promise to Glen. “Your ship! We never-“

“She’s a beaut, isn’t she?” Glen said, the handle gleaming from her relentless onslaught.

It took Glen a few moments to register this. “Your ship is a door.”

“Yup.” She lifted the key around her neck. Sure enough, it gravitated toward the handle.

Several questions sprang to mind before Finn finally settled on “Where was it?”

“With an old friend.” Glen said.

Finn considered his chances at getting a straight answer from Glen for a few moments before he gave up and said, “Well, even though you’ve got your … uh, door, you’re welcome to stay here. You did help with all this mess after all.”

“Hmm.” Glen paused her polishing to scratch her chin. “Yeah, why not? Might need me to keep an eye on you.”

“Uh-huh.” Finn said, “I’m the one who needs observation.”

If Glen caught his meaning, she didn’t say anything about it.

The approach of another shuttle, this one painted a vivid purple, cut off his musing. Jake bounded out of the open shuttle and ran over to Finn, the Boss exiting shortly after carrying a backpack and wearing her usual grin.

“Oy, Finn!” The Boss said, greeting Finn with a hearty hug and a handshake. “Crazy times, man. And here I thought you might be gettin’ complacent.”

“Sometimes, late at night, I dream about complacency.” Finn said. “And that’s when my nightmares pounce.”

“Yeah, that’s life.” The Boss chuckled for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“You okay with how it turned out?” Finn asked. “I know you had your heart set on all that loot.”

“I did.” The Boss admitted, “But then I got to thinking; we’ve got our own planet at this point, and enough money to buy a whole other system. Why not let some of the little people have the prize? Besides, it’s not like we’re empty-handed. I’ve got more of Jane Austen’s first editions than Jane Austen herself! She’s gonna be so jealous!”

Finn knew better to even ask. “Well, I’m glad.”

“Oh!” The Boss snapped her fingers before digging into the backpack and producing a hardbound book.

“Alter Inferno.” Finn said, taking it with a grin.

“Left it on the League’s ship. Noir wanted me to pass it along.” Zipping up her backpack, she said, “And now it’s back to Eden Prime. Got a syndicate to exploit.”

As she picked up the pack, Finn said, “Hang on a sec; Jake, could you open your rear compartment?”

“Sure thing, Finn.”

Once the compartment was open, Finn withdrew the Breath of the Forest and the Tear of the Creator. Approaching the Boss, Finn said, “Here; take these too.”

The Boss took the stones and eyed them appraisingly. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” Finn said. “Take ‘em … with my thanks.”

The Boss nodded as she pocketed the gems. “You’re all right, Finn. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

She walked toward her shuttle and chuckled before pulling out one of the gems and tossing it back to Finn. Finn caught it; it was the Tear of the Creator.

“Whole reason you were pulled into this.” The Boss said. “Seems only fair you get to keep it. Besides, I’ve still got the Blood of the Krogan.”

“Uh, about that.” Finn said, rubbing the back of his head. “You realize that’s a fake, right?”

The Boss laughed. “Nice try, Finn. Seriously, how did you think we found the hidden chamber? Fake indeed.”

Still chuckling, she climbed into her shuttle. “Take it easy, Finn, and if you get tired of the whole ‘saving the universe’ thing, remember you’re always welcome to come back home!”

Finn waved as the Boss’s shuttle flew out of the Ulasomorf’s Bay before glancing back at Glen.

“You made an exact replica?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “How is that even possible? The coding of the league medallion alone would’ve taken months.”

Glen shrugged and gave him her usual grin. Finn could already tell that was going to be the extent of her reply.

Rolling his eyes, Finn said, “See you later, Glen.”

 

Azure was whisping into a giggling Amber’s ear when she heard the lift doors open and jerked up instantly. She relaxed moemnts later as Scarlet and Noir walked onto the bridge of the Miiraka, hand in hand.

“Don’t wear him completely out.” Azure said with a grin. “We might need him to work on the engines at some point.”

“Let me worry about Noir.” Scarlet said, her cheeks growing even darker. “My apologies for our delay; this ship is just so big.”

“Uh-huh.” Violet said from her chair at the sensor console. “Yeah, Azure and Amber ‘got lost’ earlier too.”

“Oh, shut up.” Azure mumbled, though she couldn’t help but smile when Amber caught her hand and gave it a squeeze.

Scarlet turned to Noir and said, “Sit with me for a while, Gavin?”

“Anything you want, Mara.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek before sitting together in the loveseat that occupied the space formerly belonging to the captain’s chair. It had been a pain to drag the old mini-couch onto the bridge, but as they sat there together, they both felt it was worth it.

Violet chuckled from her seat at the sensor console before turning to communications. “Hey, Auren! You land us any gigs yet?”

Auren, smiled, feeling quite refreshed now that she no longer had to wear the face paint. Brushing her hair out of her eyes with a hand that still looked quarian, she said, “Oh, don’t worry, hun; we’ve got plenty of requests, including …”

Her hand paused. “Noveria. Now that’d be nice, wouldn’t it?”

“I always wanted to see snow.” Amber said wistfully as Azure caressed her shoulder.

“We could go looking for rings ... jewelry.” Noir’s cheeks darkened at his slip, as did Scarlet’s.

“All those companies looking for impressive lobby pieces to one up each other.” Violet said with a grin. “We could make a mint in no time.”

Auren’s grin widened, her mind on what she might find past the lobbies of the megacorps. “Oh, I am, darlin’. Believe you me.”

“Then it’s settled.” Scarlet said, standing up. “We’ll head to Noveria. Snow?”

The hologram of Geral Mkrobi appeared beside the helm, now tinted white to reflect his new codename. He smiled at his new family and said, “I look forward to seeing it, Madam Scarlet.”


	35. ... or is it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn gets a message ... from the Illusive Man.

Finn awoke to find himself on the couch in his quarters. Kyra was nestled against him for warmth, and for good reason; she was wearing a green satin costume that did a bad job of covering her skin.

Viridia danced again, and sang as well, before the two shared a few drinks as they cuddled on the couch and talked. Not about their recent adventure; they had repeated that tale more times than they cared to count to seemingly everyone, especially Darsan (who, to be fair, was feeling a little left out, even if Tuck had managed a good Viceroy Spritzer). No, they spoke about their first meeting, about the time they spent together on Neukaara and the Citadel, about Eri and Xyn’s flowering romance (both laughing even though the pun was unintentional). They had talked long into the night about life, the universe, and everything as they lay there, each enjoying the other’s warmth.

He found himself telling her things he had only told Jake … and even a few things he hadn’t: his worry for his sister, who he had just learned was both engaged and pregnant; his fears about the upcoming conflict and the possible loss of friends, and the lingering sadness he still felt from the passing of his mother. She told him things as well: her worries for her own siblings; missing her parents back on Rannoch, and concerns she had about friends she left on Omega.

As they lay there together in the darkness of his quarters, Finn realized just how deeply he loved her. He had been reluctant to say it before, but he’d never felt so complete as when they were together. They picked on each other, they occasionally fought, and Kyra seemed to be getting more and more enjoyment out of bopping him on the head, yet they were still friends.

He remembered trying to ask her how quarians proposed without seeming suspicious, but she had already been fast asleep, with Finn only moments behind.

As he lay in the darkness, caressing her satin-covered arm, he thought about the big question. Was he ready to commit to her?

She let out a single loud snore that made him chuckle quietly and rub her hair with gentle fingers. It wasn’t commitment that scared him, or even the thought of settling down and no longer flying. If anything, that just increased the appeal; his recent streaming experience scared him, and he had told Kyra as much. Sure, it was easy to laugh at fate after all the chaos in his life, but he knew sooner or later, that strange luck that led him to where he was might run out.

But was he too afraid to even try? To afraid to at least ask her, with the understanding that they would have to wait until Cerberus was gone? As he stared at her sleeping face, he found himself truly wondering for the first time.

“Psst.”

Finn frowned as a thin stream of light escaped from his bedroom door. A one millimeter thick section of Glen was outside his room, looking in.

“Psst. Finn. Finn, can you hear me?”

Annoyed at having to leave his comfortable seat, Finn carefully extracted himself from Kyra and laid her carefully on the couch. After covering her with a blanket, he paused and looked at her again before carefully moving a stray hair out of her face.

“Finn! Finn, Finn, Finn, Finn, Fi-”

”I’m up already!” Finn whispered back, not bother to hide his annoyance.

He carefully padded out of the room on his bare feet and opened the door wide enough for him to pass through. Shutting it again so the light wouldn’t bother Kyra, Finn turned to Glen and asked, “What?”

“Uh, look, I’m sorry about bothering you, but this is kinda important. I mean, I don’t want to go to Liara because it’s gonna be all awkward and all, but-“

“It’s fine.” Finn said, “What is it?”

“Come with me.”

She led him to the lift, where Hylia was waiting for them. For reasons of which Finn was unaware, her hands were covered with what looked like purple dish gloves.

“Wash a lot of dishes at this hour?” Finn asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She blushed and quickly pulled off the gloves. “Sorry; I was handling some … things that were on the League’s ship.”

“What kind of things?” Glen asked curiously.

“Uh, possibly volatile things. Things that might be a teensy weensy bit unpredictable.” She gave them a bright smile. “Can never be too careful, right?”

“Uh, right.” Finn said as he stepped into the lift.

The three of them rode the lift down to engineering in silence. Every time Finn tried to ask what was going on, Glen just shook her head and said, “It’s easier just to show you.” Eventually, Finn just gave up.

Once they had stepped from the lift onto the engineering deck, Glen turned quickly to face Finn.

“Look, you remember when you were attacked on the bridge of the Meridia?”

“You mean when the Cerberus operative nearly stabbed me in the back?” Finn said, “Yeah, that kinda sticks with you for awhile.”

“Heh. Right. Well, you remember I came up to the bridge and started to say something?”

“Vaguely.” Finn said, rubbing his forehead. He hadn’t drunk enough alcohol to have a hangover, but it did leave him with a bit of a headache. “What’s your point?”

“Right.” Glen said, clapping her hands together. “I forgot at the time, but when I remembered, I was gonna tell you straight away. Then we got all mixed up with the Saints and Councilor Raine, and I forgot again, but I knew I would, so I kept, er, a part. The important part. And I isolated the console! Very important! Don’t want it planting any viruses, no sirree.”

“And?” Finn said, wondering why Hylia wasn’t similarly annoyed by this.

“Er, well, I brought it here, cause … well, it asked for you.”

It took Finn a few moments to work through Glen’s words to find the problem, but when he figured it out, he felt his blood run cold. “It … asked for … Glen, what the hell are you talking about?”

Glen seemed to struggle for a few moments before letting out a sigh and stepping away from the console nearest the lift, where a head was currently staring at the three of them.

Finn stared back at the head for a few moments; it looked vaguely human, but it was covered with signs of cybernetic alteration, some seemingly at the nanoscopic level. Bursts of light moving in the circuitry indicated that it was active, prompting Finn to move closer for a better look.

It blinked.

Finn stumbled backwards with a yelp, nearly falling over one of Glen’s heavy workboot-clad feet.

It blinked again, an almost curious expression on its face as it stared at them, seemingly unaware that it was a head attached to an isolated console.

“You found this on the Meridia?” Finn asked, struggling to keep his words coherent.

“That’s what I … look, this guy attacked me at the same time the guy attacked you! I took him out, but he just kept standing up and coming after me again until I ripped his head off. After I dumped his body into the anti-matter purging system, he started repeating your name over and over again. I went to tell you, but we kept running into bigger problems.”

“Bigger problems.” Finn shook his head and said, “A Cerberus Assassin starts saying my name after you rip off his head, and you were distracted? I ... I just …”

Glen winced as though expecting a tirade, but Finn just let out a breath and said, “You know what, fine. We’ve been through a lot.”

“Yeah, no time to lose our heads.” Hylia said in a cheery voice.

She shrank under the withering stares Finn and Glen gave her. “Er, sorry … it just kinda slipped out.”

Approaching the head again, Finn said, “Why would it say my name?”

“Finn Cresste?” The head said, it’s tone definitely questioning.

Figuring it couldn’t hurt, Finn said, “Yes, I’m Finn.”

The eyes of the head closed.

Glen grabbed Finn’s arm as strange noises emanated from the head. “Nice and easy, Finn.”

The eyes opened wide, a strange light shining from their depths to the floor between the head and Finn. Everyone took a step back in surprise as a hologram of a middle-aged man appeared before them. He was seated in a chair and smoking what looked like a cigarette.

“Ah, Mister Cresste.” The man said, a smile on his aged face. “I was hoping we would meet soon. We have a lot to talk about.”

“Whoa.” Glen said, squinting at him. “You really did survive, huh?”

“As acute an observation as I’ve come to expect from you, Missus Adams.”

“Don’t think being a projection of light won’t stop me from punching you, you sack of-“

“Hey!” Finn said, grabbing Glen’s arm and pulling her back. “You know him?”

“Yeah.” Glen said, a dark look in her eye. “He’s the Illusive Man.”

Finn felt the temperature in the room drop.

The Illusive Man chuckled. “You can see why we need to speak. I really should thank you, Finn.”

“For what?” Finn asked, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling growing in his stomach.

“For getting rid of Councilor Ghales. Jorgal would have been an easy enough puppet to control, but Ghales had plans. Small plans, but ones that might have proven problematic. I was considering having my associates eliminate him, but you saved both them and me the trouble. You did it for your own reasons, no doubt, but I appreciate it nonetheless.”

“As a token of my thanks, let me give you a warning.” He stared at Finn with his eyes, the same eyes as the head, Finn realized. “Your interference thus far has only created minor setbacks, which is why you’re still breathing, but further meddling will result in severe consequences.”

“Really?” Glen said. “You went to this much trouble just to threaten us personally? Hate to break it to you, but we know you’ve got a bunch of Reapers.”

“You give me too much credit.” The Illusive Man said. “I only have one … I only need one.”

“But I saw the other facilities!” Finn said. “There were dozens, maybe hundreds of them!”

“And that is a mystery you may choose to try and solve.” The Illusive Man said, his tone smooth and even. “Which brings us to the real purpose of my arrangement of this meeting.”

The Illusive Man sat forward and stared directly at Finn. “The galaxy is going to change, Finn, and it will be done by my hand, that much is true … but tell me, Mister Cresste, are you certain what I plan isn’t in the galaxy’s best interest? You’ve seen a considerable amount of the universe in your travels, and will likely see much more in the days to come. Do you feel that everything is okay as is?”

“It’s not perfect, if that’s what you mean.” Finn said, “But no more so than in your day.”

“Exactly!” The Illusive Man said with surprising feeling in his voice. “Four hundred years, and the same problems persist. Ilium is a world of greedy corporations who only stop clawing at each other to squeeze every last credit from their customers. The Alliance makes a big show of protecting its citizens, but still leaves their colonies in the Terminus Systems woefully underprotected from the gangs, the slavers, and the pirates who still set up shop there. And Omega, an asteroid that should’ve been mined completely decades ago is still a wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

Ignoring Glen, who just tried to cover her snort and ended up choking on a bit of spit, Finn said, “No one said the universe is a perfect place.”

“But how much of that is because of us, Mister Cresste? How much of that have we, the humans, the turians, the asari … all of the species of our galaxy, how much of it have we done to ourselves?” He sat back in his chair and let out a sigh. “Finn, are you aware of ARKCON project?”

“You know about that?” Hylia said, looking more than just a bit stunned.

The Illusive Man took a puff of his cigarette. “I knew about it the whole time. The Ark Contingency, meant to save part of ourselves by shipping it off to Andromeda. Tell me, though; what is to stop them from making our mistakes there? Make no mistake, a few of my representatives are there with them, no doubt shaping the form of the civilization they make for themselves. My concern at the moment is for this galaxy.”

“I don’t know if there’s an answer to your question.” Finn said. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.”

“Well, I’ve found one, and I intend to act on it.” To Finn’s surprise, the Illusive Man’s face softened. “Mister Cresste … Finn. I’ve read your file. I know about your life, about your mistakes, and all you’ve done to atone for them. If there were more like you in positions of power in this galaxy, people willing to admit their errors and work to fix them or in the very least atone, my plan would not be necessary.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Glen said, “Are you seriously about to ask him to switch sides?”

“That implies there are sides to switch.” The Illusive Man said, his eyes on Finn. “While I would never expect the assistance of Missus T’soni or her prothean husband, our goals are not all that different. They certainly aren’t that different from the work of Missus Adams. How did you put it, Missus Adams? Small changes and fixes to make a better universe? I simply plan on using a bigger brush.”

“I’d need to know more about the plan.” Finn said, hoping for more information; Liara would need everything he could get.

The Illusive Man took another puff of his cigarette before saying, “You’ll know it soon enough, Mister Cresste. Until then, consider this offer; your help in the coming days could reduce the death toll by no insignificant amount. You are a good man, Mister Cresste, and although the allegiance of some of those around you is questionable,” The Illusive Man looked at Glen as he spoke, “I believe you all want to help make this galaxy a better place … not just for humanity, but for all species. Think on it; when you are ready to help shape a better galaxy, I’m certain you will find a way to contact me.”

With that, the hologram vanished. The head blinked a few more times before closing its eyes for good, leaving Finn, Glen, and Hylia looking at each other with stunned expressions.

“So,” Glen said eventually, “Who wants to tell Liara?”

 

 


End file.
